Next, to wheat, rice is the largest food crop in the world. The more than 8,000 varieties of rice are generally divided into short grain or round grain, medium grain and long grain types. It is used in a variety of ways. It is added to soups, chicken, meat and vegetable stuffing’s, salads, puddings, pies, and cakes, and is the key ingredient in risotto, pilaf, paella, and curry dishes. It is also used to make noodles, cereals, syrup, wine, vinegar, and miser. As a replacement for potatoes, it is commonly served with meat, poultry, fish, and seafood dishes, and it is a traditional accompaniment for grilled fish and brochettes. It can be served plain or stir-fried.
A delicately sweet and slightly granular flour can be made by grinding rice in a food processor or coffee grinder. Rice flour gives cakes and pastries a slightly crunchy texture. It can also be used to thicken sauces, although it is not suitable for bread making, as it does not contain gluten.
Rice is used to make a number of alcoholic beverages popular in Asia, including Japanese sake and mirin and a Chinese yellow wine called Chao xing. Sake, a sweet drink is served hot, warm, or cold, usually in tiny cups; it has an alcohol content of 14% to 16%. Mirin, a sweet or savoury -vane with lower alcohol content (about 8%), is used mainly as a cooking wine.
Rice is a good source of magnesium and contains niacin, vitamin B6, thiamine„ phosphorus, zinc, and copper, as well as traces of pantothenic acid and potassium. It is known to be a remedy for diarrhoea (its cooking water is particularly effective). It is also said to alleviate hypertension and is used as an astringent. There is an enormous number of varieties, each with its own special properties, and it is important to choose the right variety for the right dish.
Basmati Rice
One of the most popular of the perfumed varieties, this variety, a standard in Indian cooking, has a light, dry texture. Basmati rice should be soaked in water and then cooked over low heat. Available in Asian food stoics and many supermarkets, this is superior long grain rice. It is slightly more expensive than Patna, but its better flavour and consistency is well worth the extra cost. Before cooking, it sometimes needs to be carefully picked over for any bits of grit and husk and should then be rinsed thoroughly under cold running water to remove excess starch.
Basmati consistently produces Good results if cooked in the following way: add one part rice to three parts cold salted water, bring to boiling point, stir, cover the pan and turn down the heat until the water is barely simmering. After 12-15 minutes it will have absorbed all the water and, when forked up, the grains will be beautifully dry and separate. It is ideal for pilaus and as a filling and soothing foil for highly spiced Indian dishes.
Brown Rice
Any rice that has been hulled but has not lost its bran is called brown or whole rice. In Europe, it is also called cargo. To the regret of dieticians, polished white rice is usually preferred to brown rice, which contains more nutrients, particularly vitamin B, deficiency of which causes beriberi.
It is available in short, medium and long grains. Long and medium grains are best eaten as a vegetable, or as a basis for a pilaf. Short grains are delicious in puddings. You may need to cook less brown rice as it is rather more filling than its white counterparts, and it takes longer to cook.
White Rice
Hulled and polished rice that has been stripped of a significant proportion of its nutrients. It is much lower in fibre than brown rice. White rice is sometimes enriched-given a coating of magnesium silicate or a mixture of glucose and talc (polished rice).
Arborio Rice
A classic round white rice that is the essential element in Italian dishes. It is considered one of the finest types of rice because of its ability to absorb large quantities of liquid without becoming mushy.
Wild Rice
Wild rice grows mainly in marshes and still lakes in Canada and the United States. The Indians have harvested and valued it for centuries. This prized rice has a blackish colour and a pronounced hazelnut like flavour. It is boiled in water or stock after it has been soaked. It is often served as an accompaniment to wild game and blends well with mushrooms, fruits, and nuts. Wild rice is richer in protein than ordinary rice.
Parboiled White Rice
A bowl of rice that is steamed before being milled, and thus not greatly modified in nutritive value during polishing. Parboiled rice is slightly translucent and yellowish but turns white when cooked. It does not usually stick and is lighter and more delicately flavoured than brown rice. Next, to brown rice, this is the most nutritious rice, although it is not as high in fibre as brown rice.
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