Rice is a must-have in every kitchen, and there are so many varieties that it lends itself to a plethora of dishes. However, think hard before using the same sort of rice in every recipe you make. A recipe’s outcome can be drastically altered by substituting one variety of rice for another. Each type of rice has its own distinct flavor, texture, and qualities that complement a variety of cooking methods. For example, on the basis of texture it can be categorised into sticky and parboiled. Sticky rice is commonly used in making sweet dishes.
Do you know how many types of rice we have? There are over 40,000 varieties of rice. Although we can’t cover all varieties of rice, we will try to give you a brief overview of some of the most commonly used types of rice. What are the different types of rice? Read the list below to know that.
Classification on the Basis of Length & Shape
Long Grain Rice – When you want the grains to stay separate while cooking, you should use long rice grains. Long-grain rice can be used for a lot of dishes.
Rice with a Medium Grain — Rice with a medium grain is shorter than long grain rice but larger than short-grain rice. They have a wider kernel and are more likely to stick than long grain rice.
Short Grain Rice – To give your dishes a more sticky look, short rice grains are used. When making desserts like pudding, this variety of rice is used.
Classification on the Basis of Colour
Polished rice is just white rice that has been polished. It turns white after the brown coating of bran and germs is removed, and this is known as polished rice.
Brown rice has a tan colour because the husk is removed but the brown layer of bran and germs is not removed. Cooking time for brown rice is somewhat longer than what it is for white rice. There are plenty of vitamins & minerals in brown rice.
Black rice is high in nutritional value. When cooked, it has a mild nutty flavour and is slightly sticky. Black rice is mostly used in Chinese and Thai cuisines.
Brown rice has a tan colour because the husk is removed but the brown layer of bran and germs is not removed. Cooking time for brown rice is somewhat longer than what it is for white rice. There are plenty of vitamins & minerals in brown rice.
So, if we have to tell you what is the healthiest type of rice, it is most likely going to be brown or black rice as discussed above.
Hope this article helped you to know more about the different varieties of rice.
