The Rice Types Around the World
There are many forms of rice. Most — though not all — are varieties of Oryza sativa, the Asian rice grain originally domesticated during the Neolithic Revolution. Today you have access to more kinds of rice than a Persian monarch, each with its own biochemistry and virtues in the pot. It pays to understand the differences between them. This is a guide to many of the most common varieties, with notes on how to cook them, so that you too can participate in this essential culinary tradition that stretches back to the earliest days of human civilization.
Long-grain rice
There are two principle starches in rice — amylose and amylopectin — that along with the processing method influence how a grain behaves when cooked. Rice grains with a high proportion of amylopectin become sticky and soupy when cooked. Most long- and medium-grain rices are richer in amylose, which leads to grains that tend toward fluffy and separate. Long-grain varieties are often the most aromatic forms of rice, with fragrances of roasted, uh, grain, tropical herbs, and wildflowers. Long-grain rice makes great table rice, of course, and is also best for dishes where you don’t want rice grains to stick together, such as biryani, pilaf, and fried rice.
Soupy rice
Whether you’re making asopao, juk, or risotto, soupy rice is characterized by exceptionally tender grains that have given up much of their starch to enrich a cooking broth. Any rice cooked long enough will exhibit these qualities, but Italian risotto rices are arguably the best equipped for the job. Carnaroli, vialone nano, and arborio are medium-grained rices that excel at forming a rich, creamy broth while maintaining the integrity of individual grains that are soft to the tooth but don’t dissolve completely.
Paella rice
There is a whole genre of rice dishes that are all about crispy bottoms. In Iran you have saffron-tinged tahdig. In China, bo zai fan is cooked in clay pots over high flame to develop a lacquered crust. Most recipes — emphasis on most here, as the subject of rice is too grand for absolutes — call for whatever long- or medium-grain rice is popular in the region. Spanish paella is a notable exception. Bomba and calasparra are short-grain rices that release enough starch to form a crispy crust on the bottom of the pan, yet when cooked in an open vessel with plenty of air circulation, they retain a toothy texture where basmati would turn to mush. Making paella without the appropriate rice is an uphill battle for the best of cooks, and paella rice may be a friend to any crispy-bottomed rice dish.
Short-grain rice
Japonica rices, as opposed to longer-grained indica varieties, tend to contain more water-soluble amylopectin, which leads to grains that stick together during cooking. One common example is “sushi rice,” which isn’t a specific variety so much as a platonic form. The rounded bowl of rice you may get at a Japanese or Chinese restaurant — the kind that absorbs some sauce but can be picked up in clumps with chopsticks — is best made with a rice sold as sushi rice. Calrose is a common variety in the U.S. and is popular in restaurants.
Unlike long-grain rices, which turn plasticky and brittle after they cool, short-grain rices tend to be more tender at room- and fridge-temperature. This makes them ideal for chilled puddings. Short-grain rice can also absorb a lot of moisture; in Turkey, a variety called baldo is a popular short-grain rice used for pilaf, as it can soak up flavorful cooking liquid and form slightly sticky clumps of grains on your spoon. In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, ponni rice is a short-grain variety often fed to the young, elderly, and sick, as it takes well to porridge preparations and is easily digestible with a relatively low glycemic index.
Sticky rice
Often called glutinous rice, white sticky rice doesn’t actually contain the flour-protein gluten. It is, however, full of sticky amylopectin, and after a brief soak is ready to be steamed into all kinds of chewy sweet and savory preparations. Plain sticky rice is a regular accompaniment to Thai curries and saucy dishes. Cantonese cooks wrap sticky rice, fatty meat, and treats like mushrooms in lotus leaves for parcels called lo mai gai. When cooked with sugar and coconut milk, sticky rice makes a sweet and chewy dessert served with fresh mango and lightly salted condensed milk. And mochi — along with many chewy desserts across Asia — are made from sticky rice that’s ground into a fine flour.
