Rice is a great store cupboard ingredient as it cooks relatively quickly with little or no preparation. It is perfect served as an accompaniment instead of potatoes or pasta and is an essential ingredient in dishes such as risotto and paella.
There are two main ways of cooking rice. The absorption method cooks rice in a covered pan in just the right amount of water until all the liquid is absorbed by the grains. The second method cooks the rice in plenty of boiling water until tender. The excess water is drained away before the rice is served.
White rice has been milled to remove the husk and the bran. It is available as short, medium or long grain rice as well as in specific varieties, such as Arborio. Brown rice has only the tough outer husk removed. The layers of bran are retained, making the rice pale brown in colour with a nutty flavour and chewy texture. It requires longer cooking and absorbs more liquid than white rice. Both white and brown rice is also available part-cooked. This ‘easy-cook’ rice cooks much more quickly and is less likely to stick to the pan.
Most varieties of rice can be grouped into either the long grain or short grain rice.
Long grain rice
This type of rice is easy to cook and should be light with well separated grains.
Varieties include:
- Basmati rice
- Thai Jasmine rice
- American Long Grain rice
Basmati rice
These slender grains are grown in the foothills of the Himalayas and have a distinctive, fragrant aroma. Most commonly used for serving with Indian dishes – and also for traditional recipes such as pilau rice and biryani - basmati rice should be light and fluffy with well separated grains.
Also known as Thai jasmine rice, these grains have a subtle sweet, fragrant flavour and delicate texture.
American long grain rice
Hugely popular in the UK, long grain rice makes the perfect accompaniment. It’s simple to cook and has fat, tender grains. Easy-cook varieties can be ready in just 10 minutes – less time than it takes to peel a bag of potatoes.