7/29/2019 KOP IK 38 HO Rice

1/3

RICE

Apart from wheat, this is the most widely cultivated cereal in the world, growing intropical, equatorial and temperate zones. Rice is always eaten cooked, either hot

or cold, as a sweet or savory dish. The largest consumers worldwide are China,India, Indonesia, Japan and Bangladesh followed by Latin America and Africa.Growing on both dry and swampy and irrigated land, rice was known andcultivated in China more than 3000 years ago. It seems, however, that the riceplant may have originated in Southern India, then spread to the north of thecountry and then to China. Later it arrived in Korea, the Philippines, Japan andIndonesia. The Persians imported rice to Mesopotamia and Turkistan and

Alexander the Great, who invaded India in 327 B.C., brought it to Greece. It wasthe crusaders who also introduced rice into France.

Varieties of Rice:

There are two main varieties of rice, the sub species indica (long grain) whichhas long grains that separate when cooked and the sub species japonica, withround grains that stick together when cooked. There are also variousintermediate types. Rice is classified, according to the processing that itundergoes after harvesting, into the following:

1. Paddy Rice: unhusked rice in its raw state with no further treatment afterthreshing (contains 20 to 25% moisture)

2. Brown Rice: also known as husked or whole rice, it is rice with the outer husk

removed, having a characteristic beige color. The rice retains some of thestarch, vitamin B and phosphorus.

3. White Rice: brown rice from which the germ and the outer layers of theperricarp have been removed by passing the grain through machines thatrasp the grain; it is also called unpolished rice.

4. Polished Rice: white rice that has been passed through machines thatremove any flour still adhering to the grain.

5. Steamed or pretreated rice: paddy rice that has been meticulously cleaned,

soaked in hot water, steamed at a low pressure and then dehusked andblanched.

6. Puffed Rice: in India it is roasted and fried on hot sand; in the United States itis treated to high pressure and low pressure.

7. Wild Rice: the seed of an aquatic grass, related to the rice plant, which comesfrom the northern United States. The seeds grow one by one up the stock andresemble little black sticks; it is very expensive and is sometimes mixed withbrown rice.

7/29/2019 KOP IK 38 HO Rice

2/3

8. Basmati Rice: Indian rice with very small but long grains, with a distinctiveflavor. Old Basmati is highly prized by Indians and Pakistanis.

9. Sticky Rice: long grain rice with a very high starch content; rarely available, it

is suitable for Chinese cookery.

10. Rice flakes: rice that is steamed, husked, and then flattened into thin flakes; itis eaten for breakfast with milk and sugar.

11. Rice semolina, ground rice, and rice flour: these are made by grindingfragments of very white rice; they are used in making cakes and pastries andto thicken sauces.

Cooking and Preparation:

Rice can absorb a great deal of liquid and will soak up water, milk, oil, or stockaccording to the recipe. The whole art of cooking rice is to ensure that the grainsremain a little firm (al dente) but not hard, that they are separate,

And that they retain their flavor (these criteria do not apply to rice cooked in milk).Unless it is pre-cooked or pre-treated, rice should always be washedIn running water and drained well before being cooked. There are four differentmethods of cooking rice:

In water- The rice is poured into the pan with twice its volume of cold water,

brought to the boil, and cooked with the pan covered until all the water isabsorbed. Alternatively, it can be poured in- to a large quantity of boilingwater, brought back to the boil, cooked uncovered, then drained. Yet anothermethod is to pour the rice into boiling salted water, simmer for 10 minutes,wash in cold water, drain, and put in a covered dish in a cool oven untilcooking is complete. Rice cooked in water, termed a la Creole or d1'indienne, is particularly suitable for mixed salads and as a garnish for meator fish.

Steamed -The rice, previously washed in cold water, is placed in a steamer

over boiling water for 20-40 minutes (according to the variety); sometimes it is

blanched for a few minutes before being placed in the steamer. Alternatively,the rinsed rice may be put into a saucepan with one and a half times itsvolume of water, brought to the boil, and cooked with the pan tightly sealeduntil all the water has been absorbed. Steamed rice is eaten plain or as agarnish.

In milk - This is the standard way of cooking all rice desserts. The rice isblanched in boiling water, rinsed, drained, and cooked slowly in milk, which

7/29/2019 KOP IK 38 HO Rice

3/3

may he flavored in some way, until it attains the consistency of a creamypaste. It is then garnished, molded, or flavored in various ways.