Grain
Rice
Also called white rice, short-grain rice, jasmine rice, uncooked rice
The harvested grain of Oryza sativa, cooked as daily starch from Korea to West Africa. Short, medium and long grains are not interchangeable.
Origin
Domesticated along the Yangtze and, separately, in other Asian river systems. Farmers carried it into Southeast Asia, West Africa, the Mediterranean and the Americas.
Flavour
Fresh rice tastes faintly sweet. Jasmine is floral, basmati nutty and popcorn-like, Japanese japonica milder and clingy. Stale rice smells dusty and cooks dull.
How to use it
Rinse jasmine and most long-grain for separate grains; rinse Japanese short-grain to strip surface starch so it cooks glossy, not gluey. Measure water by weight or use a cooker. Absorption cooking wants a tight lid and a rest off the heat so steam finishes the centre. For fried rice, cook a day ahead, cool, then refrigerate — wet fresh rice clumps in the wok. Salt the water only if the meal will not bring a salty sauce. A brief high boil, then low, stops the base scorching before the top is done.
Storage
Raw white rice keeps months airtight and dry; brown rice turns rancid sooner. Cooked rice belongs in the fridge within an hour.
Recipes using it
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