Rice
History
Pre-history
Cultivation of rice began in Southeast Asia around 4500 BC, and became an important part of the Chinese diet around 800 BC. The exact location of the first area to put rice under cultivation is unknown, but it was in China that the now standard method of wetland planting was first adopted.
Evidence of early rice cultivation has been found in Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), Laos, India, and Vietnam, among others. In many of these countries rice figures in religious ritual and vocabulary; the word "rice" being a synonym for either food or agriculture in many cases. Once it was discovered that rice grew best in shallow, slow moving water, the spread of cultivation was quite slow. The labour and organization needed to build and maintain paddy fields required a stable and well-ordered society. But cultivation gradually spread from Northern India and South and Central China to Borneo, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. Rice was introduced into Japan from either China or Korea no later than 100 B.C.
Rice was known in the Middle East, but never gained the status of a staple crop in most countries; rice is not mentioned in the Bible.
Western Countries
Wherever rice originated, it soon became the grain of choice in all parts of the globe that favoured its cultivation in terms of geography and climate. Today it is cultivated on every continent except Antarctica. In the Mediterranean area adoption was slow. During the 16th century it was associated with malaria. There may have been some truth to this, as rice paddies are ideal mosquito breeding grounds. As a result major drainage projects were undertaken throughout Europe, and rice cultivation was actively discouraged. Rice was imported into Europe by various routes, but it was costly to transport and expensive.
Rice was being regularly imported into Europe by the 13th century, and began to be cultivated in the fertile northern plains of Italy. Throughout most of Europe rice was, and remained, a special food until cheap rice began to be imported at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Rice was introduced to the Americas by the early European settlers and by slaves brought from Madagascar. But it was only two hundred years after Columbus that cultivation became widespread, particularly in the Carolinas.
After the Civil War, discharged soldiers given land on the Gulf Coast began growing rice there. By the late 1900 rice was being grown in Louisiana and Texas, up to California and into the Mississippi delta. The grain's popularity was helped by some influential gourmets: President Grant was fond of rice pudding, and Thomas Jefferson's favourite was a rice pilaf.
Rice Today
Rice is the main source of food for about half the world's population. Although it is cultivated world-wide, 91 percent is grown in Asia, which produces over 535 million metric tons of rice per year. On average, in the West, we consume 1.8 kg/4 lbs of rice per year per person, compared to 150 kg/330 lbs of rice per year per person in Asia.
The 20th century has seen a revolution in rice production with the introduction of mechanized sowing and harvesting methods, and improved strains.
In The Kitchen
Storage
To prevent spoilage by moisture or insects, store rice in a tightly covered container in a cool, dark place. Properly stored white rice keeps for at least a year.
Cooked rice should be covered and refrigerated for up to a week.
Cooked rice also may be frozen alone or in combination with other foods. Frozen rice keeps six to eight months if stored in suitable freezer containers.
Which Rice for Which Dish?
Each type of rice has a different proportion of two starches; amolyse and amylopectin. A higher proportion of amylopectin results in sticker rice. Rice will absorb water and swell during cooking producing softness, firmness and stickiness in varying degrees, depending on the variety.
When choosing rice, flavour, aroma, firmness and stickiness all have to be taken into account. Generally long grain rice is used in pilafs, side dishes, stir-fry and salads. Short Grain Rice is used in sushi, rice balls or rice puddings. Medium Grain rice is used in risotto, paella, pancakes or rice pudding. Parboiled rice is suitable for soups, stews, entrees and side dishes.
To Rinse or not to Rinse?
Loose or bulk rice must be rinsed to remove twigs, insects, stones, and any other errant debris.
Converted rice should not be rinsed, as it's not necessary and added nutrients will be lost.
When making risotto, do not rinse Arborio rice; rinsing will wash away the significant amount of surface starch that contributes to the dish's characteristic creamy consistency.
For Japanese style rice, glutinous rice and basmati rice, it is recommended to soak rice to soften the rice grains.
| How Many People Are You Cooking For? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | 2 people | 4 people | 6 people | 7 people |
| 1/2 cup cooked | 1 cup cooked | 2 cups cooked | 3 cups cooked | 3 1/2 cups cooked |
| 1 cup of uncooked rice = approximately 3 cups cooked rice | ||||
General Cooking Tips
Rice is usually purchased with printed instructions on the package, which should be followed.
In default of manufacturer's instructions, there are a few simple techniques to ensure perfectly cooked rice:
- Measure water and rice accurately, usually 1 cup rice to 1 3/4 cups water.
- Rinse all rice (except converted and Arborio) 2 to 3 times before cooking to remove excess starch.
- Do not rinse rice after cooking.
- To test that the rice is cooked, pinch a cooked grain; if there is no hard core or chalky centre, the rice is cooked.
- Always let rice stand for 5 to 10 minutes off heat with the lid on so as to complete the cooking process and redistribute moisture evenly.
- To fluff cooked rice gently use a fork or flat spoon. To avoid the grains being smashed, slice through rice rather than stir.
- The moisture content of rice can vary with age and storage conditions, so adjustments may be made to the amount of water added for cooking.
Rice Cooking Methods:
The cooking method will influence the quality of the cooked rice. There are four basic cooking methods: absorption method, gentle boil, microwave, and electric rice cooker.
Gentle boil: Bring 1 cup of rice and 6-8 cups of water to a boil while stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and the rice is brought to a gentle boil as it is cooked uncovered for 12-15 minutes for white rice or 25-30 minutes for brown rice. The rice is then removed from heat and drained well. If the water is boiling too vigorously, the grains tend to split and the texture of the rice is not at its best. Older rice requires more water; long-grain rice more than short-grain rice.
Absorption Method: Here all the liquid is absorbed. At its simplest, place 1 3/4 cups of water in a saucepan, and stir in one cup of rice. Bring to a boil, and then lower heat to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the rice is tender. The ratio of rice to water can vary according to rice type and age.
There are many variations, but one technique for preparing what the Chinese refer to as ''steamed'' rice is to cover the grains by a depth of one knuckle joint, about one inch, bring the water and rice to a boil over medium heat, boil one minute, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer the rice 18 minutes. Rice is cooked when the liquid has been absorbed and steam holes are visible on the surface. After cooking, allow the rice to stand, covered, 7 to 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork before serving.
In all cases a heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight-fitting lid is recommended.
Pilaf is an absorption technique for cooking grains in which the grain is sautéed briefly in butter, then simmered in stock or water with various seasonings. Depending on country of origin, the dish can also be called pilau, pilaw, pullao, or pilav. Flavours may be added by starting with onions or other vegetables sautéed in oil or butter before adding the rice, using chicken, or other stock in place of water, and adding herbs and spices.
Instead of cooking rice on the burner, once the boiling stage is reached, cover and place in the oven at 350 F (180C) for about 15 to 20 minutes.
As a rule-of-thumb, one cup of uncooked rice will absorb 1 1/2 cups liquid, or a ratio of 2:3 for the mathematically inclined.
Microwave Rice Cooker
Generally the same water-to-rice ratio applies as the absorption method described above. As microwaves vary it is best to refer to the manual.
Electric Rice Cooker
Electric rice cookers will produce perfect (if a little bland) cooked rice every time. Refer to manufacturer's operating instructions for cooking advice.
Doneness:
Test rice for doneness by squeezing a grain between your fingers. It is cooked when you don't feel a hard core. When the grains are splayed out at the ends, the rice is overcooked but not unsalvageable.
If the rice is done but not all the liquid has been absorbed, uncover the pan and place over low heat for a few minutes until the liquid evaporates. You can also drain the rice, return it to the pan and toss with a fork over low heat.
When the water has boiled off and the rice is not yet tender, sprinkle a small amount of water over the rice and continue cooking.
To reheat:
Sauté lightly in butter or margarine, tossing and fluffing with a fork as it warms.
Place the rice in the top of a double boiler. Sprinkle with a few drops of water, then fluff the rice with a fork as it heats over simmering water.
To reheat rice cooked without any fat: Wrap in a damp kitchen towel, place in a colander and lower into a pan with a small amount of simmering water in the bottom. (The water should not touch the colander.) Cover the pan and steam the rice several minutes, until heated through.
Fried rice: always use long grain rice that has been cooked and completely cooled. Cook meat and vegetables quickly, but, once rice has been added, cook on low heat until rice is thoroughly heated through.
Risotto:
Risotto is neither a type of rice, nor a cooking technique; it is an Italian rice dish. Using a variation on the absorption method, the liquid is added gradually.
Tips:
- Use only Arborio rice.
- As the aim is for the grains to be sticky, do not wash or rinse Arborio rice as this will remove starch.
- Toast the rice before adding liquid, but not to the point that the rice starts to brown.
- Use a mild, unsalted, unassertive stock; it will become concentrated by evaporation and too strong or salty, masking other more subtle flavours.
- Add hot, not cold, stock to the rice.
- Add about 1/2 a cup to begin with, and in decreasing amounts thereafter.
- Keep the liquid simmering all the time.
- Stir constantly with a wooden spoon, being careful to scrape the bottom of the saucepan to avoid burning. Burnt risotto tastes awful.
- Start testing the rice after about 15 minutes; it should be slightly resistant to the teeth.
- The finished product should be slightly soupy and creamy.
Paella (pie-yah):
The national dish of Spain, paella can be made only in large quantities (that's its nature), and is probably not suitable for an intimate dinner a deux (for two).
Spanish medium-grain is ideal for paella; bomba, if you find it, is perfect, but any white medium grain will do at a pinch. Arborio is passable, but long grain is a definite non-starter.
Using an authentic paella pan will impress your guests, but may be an extravagance for a dish one may make once in a blue moon. A shallow, heavy saucepan will work almost as well, or use a hefty cast iron skillet as a last resort.
Recipes, ingredients, and techniques tend to vary depending upon who you are talking to and where you are. Every Spaniard in every region has the only, the best, and the definitive recipe.
Tips
- Use a cooking utensil that is wide, shallow, and spacious.
- Bear in mind that you will need a heat source that can accommodate the whole paella pan. Cooking outside over wood or charcoal is not a bad idea.
- Tomato, garlic, and saffron are the principle flavouring agents.
- Don't overload the pan with ingredients.
- Rice is the star in paella; don't get too obsessive about the other main ingredients.
- As for risotto, do not use an assertive or salty stock.
- A crispy rice crust on the bottom of the pan is not a cause for tears and recriminations; on the contrary, that crust is to paella what volume is to a soufflé.
- For authenticity (and practicality) serve directly from the pan; do not serve on platters.
- Ensure that your guests have not eaten for a few days. It is impossible to cook less that a huge amount and it does not gladly suffer re-heating.
Rice Pudding:
One of the (very few) glories of English cuisine. Most European countries and Middle Eastern countries have a version.
Pan Method: Place rice in a sauce pan. Add milk and sugar as specified in recipe and stir to mix. Bring to a bowl, then lower heat and cover the pan and simmer very gently for 1 1/2 hours stirring frequently.
Oven Method: Preheat oven to 300 F. Follow recipe, put the rice and sugar in a shallow baking dish and pour in cold milk. Stir well to mix and then dot the surface with a little butter. Bake in oven for about 45 minutes by which time a thick skin will have formed on the top of the pudding. Sir the skin into the pudding and bake the pudding for about 1 1/2 hours more, stirring once or twice.
Sushi:
In Japan sushi is more often eaten in a restaurant than in the home, especially the nigirizushi varieties (small slices of raw fish or other ingredients on a small portion of sushi rice.)
Making authentic sushi rice is rather demanding in terms of both ingredients and technique. For those willing to meet the challenge one of the best books on sushi instructions and background information is "The Japanese Kitchen": Hiroko Shimbo. (2000). The Japanese Kitchen. Boston: The Harvard Common Press.
For the intrepid few who enjoy the challenge of making sushi at home, here are a few pointers:
For 3 cups uncooked rice.
- Ingredients: try to locate a store that specializes in Japanese food, and then stock up. None of the ingredients (rice, rice vinegar, kombu, and saki) is perishable. Ask the shop staff for advice on ingredients and cooking techniques.
- Rice: Ensure that you buy short-grain Japanese rice, or rice that is specifically designated as "Sushi Rice". Rinse and rub rice three times. A handy mnemonic: "rinse rice thrice". Allow rice to rest in colander for an hour before cooking.
- To three cups rice, add a two inch square of kombu (dried Japanese kelp) and 2 tablespoons saki (rice wine).
- Rice to water ratio is about one cup rice to one cup plus three tablespoons water. If there is advice on the package, follow it.
- Use a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
- Leave rice in measured cold water for thirty minutes.
- Cook over medium heat, uncovered, until water level is just above rice. Reduce heat to minimum, cover, and continue cooking until rice is cooked and all the liquid absorbed. This should take about 15 minutes.
- Let stand for 10 minutes off the heat.
- Dressing: Combine 6 tablespoons (90 mL) rice vinegar, two tablespoons sugar, and 2 1/2 tablespoons salt. Do this ahead of time to dissolve crystals.
- Transfer cooked rice to a wooden bowl that has been soaked in water, with the spoon, for about 30 minutes (this prevents sticking).
- Pour dressing over rice and mix by cutting through rice with a spatula, as if you are mixing in egg whites.
- Cover rice with a moist cloth until ready for use, or store in a container with a tight-fitting lid.
- Sushi rice must be used the same day. Do not refrigerate.
Biryani:
A rice and meat dish introduced to India by the Moguls.
It is a one dish meal, with rice piled and layered with meat. Use of basmati rice and saffron is obligatory.
Biryani is anther rice dish best enjoyed in a restaurant; as for sushi, technique, variations, and ingredients are such that successful renditions are more likely to be found in a good North Indian restaurant than the home.
Nutrition
Rice is the staple food for half the world's population, so it is fortunate, and logical, that it is wholesome and nutritious.
To summarize rice's nutritional advantages, rice is:
- Fat, cholesterol and sodium-free.
- Gluten free and non-allergenic
- Easy to digest
- A complex carbohydrate.
Processing
The less rice is processed, the more nutritious it is, although this is somewhat mitigated by the addition of vitamins to white rice in the industrial manufacturing process.
Rice naturally contains thiamin, niacin and iron. However, during the milling process, the quantity of these nutrients is reduced. To bring the nutritional level of the milled product up to that of the whole grain (brown), rice in North America is enriched with thiamin, niacin and iron. All enriched rice is additionally fortified with folic acid. The enrichment is applied to rice in the form of a coating; water-soluble vitamins, B and C in particular, can be lost in the cooking or rinsing water. Thiamin, niacin and folic acid are all B vitamins.
Brown rice has the best nutritional profile, having significant fibre content, which cannot be replaced by processing. Minute rice, by comparison, is low on the nutrition scale.
Protein
Although rice does not approach the protein quality of eggs, it does possess all the essential amino acids, and is considered an excellent protein source in terms of quality. Unfortunately, the protein content of rice is limited; 2.0 to 2.5 grams protein per 100 grams cooked rice. For this reason, rice is often paired with an ingredient that supplies the missing protein, beans for example.
Varieties
There are numerous, about 40,000, types of rice, although they all stem from the same species, oryza sativa. But the most common classification and the one most favoured in Canadian supermarkets, is by the length of the grain, which can be long, medium or short. Within these categories there is an innumerable number of varieties, details of which are probably not important to the average consumer. As a general rule, long and medium grain rice is used for savoury dishes, while short grain is used for desserts. There are exceptions: risotto is made only with special medium-short grain rice, and sushi rice is short grain. The primary differences in these rices is their cooking characteristics and in some cases subtle flavour differences.
The terms "Indica" and "Japonica" are virtually synonymous with "long grain and non-sticky" and "short grain and sticky" respectively.
There are several possible ways of classifying rice: by shape, region, colour, or by cooking properties.
Here are described the more common varieties that are customarily found in Canada. Depending on where one lives, a trip to the nearest ethnic market, or recourse to mail order may be required.
Long Grain Rice - Types
Long grain rice has a long, slender kernel, four to five times longer than its width. Cooked long grain rice is typically separate, light and fluffy. White long grain rice is the most commonly available type on the market and comes from a number of countries. Long grain rice is available in varying degrees of processing.
Brown Rice
Starting with the least processed, brown rice (sometimes called whole-grain rice) is the complete grain, with only the hull removed. Brown rice can be eaten as is or further processed or milled into white rice. Cooked brown rice grains are slightly chewy with a nut-like flavour. The brown colour is caused by the presence of bran layers which are rich in minerals, fibre, and vitamins, especially the B-Complex group. Brown rice is nutritionally superior to the white variety, but takes much longer to cook, is rather more glutinous, and has markedly different taste characteristics. It takes about twice as long to cook as white rice. Most rice varieties come in a brown version. Brown rice has a short shelf life due to oil in the germ.
Regular-Milled White Rice
Regular-Milled White Rice has the hull and bran layers removed. It is sometimes called milled rice, white rice, or polished white rice. Most white rice is enriched.
Parboiled or Converted Rice
Parboiled or Converted Rice has gone through a steam-pressure process before milling. The procedure ensures a firmer, more separate grain. Parboiled rice contains the majority of the vitamins and minerals present in brown rice because the rice is steamed and cooled before the outer bran layer is removed, locking in the nutrients. Uncooked grains are translucent with a faint yellowish colouring. Parboiled rice was developed to provide consumers with an easy-to-cook product that gave separate, fluffy grains.
Precooked or Instant Rice
Pre-cooked rice is white or brown rice that has been completely cooked and dehydrated after milling. Precooked rice is available in frozen, canned, or cook-in-a-bag form. While undoubtedly more convenient, precooked rice is more expensive than less processed types of rice, and the taste can be rather bland.
Long Grain Varieties
Short Grain Varieties
Medium Grain Varieties
Between long and short grain rice varieties, there are subtle graduations. A working knowledge of these graduations is not necessary, except to note that Javanica rice is a medium grain variety from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Madagascar.
Medium grain rice is suitable for making paella and risotto.
Wild Rice
Zizania palustris and zizania aquatica are the botanical terms for wild rice. Wild rice is not true rice at all, but a grass that grows in the marshy area around the Great Lakes in Canada and the USA. It is harvested by the local natives.
Good Grain
This black grain, the Indians call "Mahnomen", meaning good grain, contains vital nutrients, while providing great taste. Wild rice is lower in fat content and has a higher proportion of protein than unpolished rice. It contains several important B-group vitamins.
To prepare wild rice for cooking, it needs to be soaked for several hours. Then it must be cooked for at least 40 minutes until the inner grain breaks through the husk. Wild rice is used at Thanksgiving for stuffing the turkey, a symbol of the fact that wild rice was an important staple food for the early settlers when the wheat and barley was scarce. Serve wild rice and wild rice mixtures with fish, like salmon.
Wild Rice Mixtures
Wild rice and Basmati is a mixture of the two. Because wild rice normally takes longer to cook than Basmati, the makers of this product will balance the equation by using parboiled basmati, which has a longer cooking time, and matching it with a strain of wild rice that requires less cooking time than usual. Always read the cooking instructions on the package.
Other combinations available at the grocery store are:
- Wild Rice and White Long Grain Rice
- Wild Rice and Par-Boiled Rice
- Wild Rice and Brown Rice
Other Rice Products
- Rice Milk
- Puffed Rice
- Flaked Rice
- Ground Rice
- Rice Flour
- Rice Vinegar
- Sake
- Mirin
- Rice-stick Noodles
- Rice Vermicelli Noodles
- Japanese Harusame Noodles
- Rice Paper
- Singapore Noodles
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