7 most popular and healthy varieties of rice
Rice is a healthy and dietary product. There are a huge number of rice varieties, but the most popular are seven of them — we will talk about them today.
It is not too easy to understand the varieties of rice — no joke, there are about 10,000 types of rice in the world! However, in order to prepare a delicious dinner, it is enough to be able to distinguish several varieties, each of which has its own characteristic feature.
Basmati or Thai rice
For example, basmati rice has a yellowish color, long thin grains and a pronounced nutty smell.
Before cooking rice, it should be thoroughly washed (at least three times). This will get rid of excess starch, and the rice will become more crumbly.
You need to cook basmati according to the standard — 1 part of rice to 2 parts of water. After the water boils, add the rice and cook it for 5-7 minutes, and then leave it under the lid for 30 minutes to evaporate. There is a second way — cook the rice for 15-20 minutes, and then leave it under the lid for 5-10 minutes. You do not need to stir the rice during cooking, as it may become sticky.
Basmati can be an ideal side dish or part of a salad. By the way, rice for salad should be cooked in a large amount of water, and then this water should be drained. In addition, basmati is used for Thai spicy dishes, as well as served with fish and meat: this rice perfectly absorbs sauces.
The caloric content of basmati rice is 322 kcal per 100 grams.
Jasmine or Asian rice
Jasmine is also called Thai fragrant rice — and for good reason. This type of rice has a pronounced aroma of Jasmine — very unusual! It belongs to the long-grain varieties and is distinguished by the white color of the rice.
Jasmine is ideal for steaming. If you want to cook this variety according to the traditional Thai method, then you need to wash the rice well (as well as basmati) and cook it in a steamer. Of course, this rice can be cooked — but here you need to remember that the amount of water should be less than in the standard recipe: a maximum of one and a half glasses of water per glass of rice. You need to cook rice over low heat so that it is steamed. After cooking it for 20 minutes (you can't lift the lid and add water, you don't need to stir it either), turn off the gas, and mix the rice very carefully, as if whisking, and leave it under the lid for 12 minutes.
Jasmine is simply irreplaceable in the preparation of desserts and spicy dishes — its delicate aroma will emphasize the sharpness or sweetness of sauces. You can also use it as a side dish for flavorful dishes and make salads with it.
The caloric content of Jasmine rice is 332 kcal per 100 grams.
Wild or water rice
This rice is also called canadian rice. Very thin, long, brown color, this rice is quite easy to remember. It has a sweet taste and a pleasant nutty aroma, and wild rice is a record holder for vitamin content. This is really a very healthy rice, but it is worth remembering that it has very hard grains.
Wild rice must be soaked overnight. After that, it can be cooked — 1 Cup of rice to 3 cups of water. Even after soaking, it cooks for quite a long time — about 40 minutes.
Due to its high vitamin content, this rice is ideal as an independent dietary dish. It can also be used for soups, side dishes, and salads.
The caloric content of wild rice is 347 kcal per 100 grams.
Black or Tibetan rice
Completely black, this rice can look somewhat intimidating — especially when you start cooking it. Yes, black rice "sheds", so you should not use enameled dishes for cooking — it will turn red. Black rice smells like popcorn, and it has slightly less vitamins than wild rice.
This rice is also characterized by hard grains, so it needs to be soaked for about 3 hours. After that, you can start cooking — you will need 1 Cup of rice for 2 cups of water. Cook the black rice for about 30 minutes.
Ready-made black rice will be a little sticky, so it can be a great ingredient for spicy puddings from Thai cuisine, as well as for very unusual black sushi and rolls. This rice is also perfect for cold salads.
The caloric content of black rice is 160 kcal per 100 grams of cooked rice.
Arborio
Dense, rounded, with broad white grains, Arborio rice has become famous for risotto — a dish known all over the world. This rice greatly increases in volume during cooking, but it does not boil into porridge, which made it an ideal variety for one of the most popular dishes of Italian cuisine.
Arborio should be cooked in a wide and deep frying pan at the rate of 1 Cup of rice to 3-4 cups of water. First, one glass is poured into the rice, and as it boils, the rest of the water is added. Arborio, like all other types of rice, should not be disturbed during cooking — just shake.
In addition to risotto, this type of rice is great for making soups.
The calorie content of Arborio is 354 kcal per 100 grams.
Valencia
This type of rice is also known as Spanish rice. Valencia is a very beautiful rice, round and white, resembling small pearls. It absorbs water and sauces well, so most often this variety is used to make paella — a dish that occupies the same place in Spanish cuisine as risotto in Italian.
It is also advisable to cook Valencia in a thick-walled wide frying pan. A glass of rice will require 2-3 cups of water, and it will cook for about 20 minutes.
Valencia, like Arborio, can be used to make soups, not just paella.
The caloric content of this type of rice is 360 kcal per 100 grams.
Devzira
It is impossible not to write about this jewel from the Ferghana valley. Devzira is red Ferghana rice, long-grain, beautiful and heavy. Yes, surprisingly, but devzira is really heavier than other varieties of rice. Devzero often forged, for example, paint the brick that you can check: real red rice will not paint hands. If you RUB the grains in your hands, you will see small reddish-brown scales that are easily shaken off. But fake rice is sure to leave traces on the palms.
Devzira perfectly absorbs water, odors and fat, and when cooked, this rice increases in size by as much as seven times! It is best to soak it for 10-12 hours, and only then put it to cook. This requires 5 cups of water per Cup of rice. If you soaked devzira, the cooking time will be about 15 minutes.
What to cook from devzira? Well, of course, pilaf! Although you can use rice as a side dish.
The caloric content of devzira is 365 kcal per 100 grams.
It is not too easy to understand the varieties of rice — no joke, there are about 10,000 types of rice in the world! However, in order to prepare a delicious dinner, it is enough to be able to distinguish several varieties, each of which has its own characteristic feature.
Basmati or Thai rice
For example, basmati rice has a yellowish color, long thin grains and a pronounced nutty smell.
Before cooking rice, it should be thoroughly washed (at least three times). This will get rid of excess starch, and the rice will become more crumbly.
You need to cook basmati according to the standard — 1 part of rice to 2 parts of water. After the water boils, add the rice and cook it for 5-7 minutes, and then leave it under the lid for 30 minutes to evaporate. There is a second way — cook the rice for 15-20 minutes, and then leave it under the lid for 5-10 minutes. You do not need to stir the rice during cooking, as it may become sticky.
Basmati can be an ideal side dish or part of a salad. By the way, rice for salad should be cooked in a large amount of water, and then this water should be drained. In addition, basmati is used for Thai spicy dishes, as well as served with fish and meat: this rice perfectly absorbs sauces.
The caloric content of basmati rice is 322 kcal per 100 grams.
Jasmine or Asian rice
Jasmine is also called Thai fragrant rice — and for good reason. This type of rice has a pronounced aroma of Jasmine — very unusual! It belongs to the long-grain varieties and is distinguished by the white color of the rice.
Jasmine is ideal for steaming. If you want to cook this variety according to the traditional Thai method, then you need to wash the rice well (as well as basmati) and cook it in a steamer. Of course, this rice can be cooked — but here you need to remember that the amount of water should be less than in the standard recipe: a maximum of one and a half glasses of water per glass of rice. You need to cook rice over low heat so that it is steamed. After cooking it for 20 minutes (you can't lift the lid and add water, you don't need to stir it either), turn off the gas, and mix the rice very carefully, as if whisking, and leave it under the lid for 12 minutes.
Jasmine is simply irreplaceable in the preparation of desserts and spicy dishes — its delicate aroma will emphasize the sharpness or sweetness of sauces. You can also use it as a side dish for flavorful dishes and make salads with it.
The caloric content of Jasmine rice is 332 kcal per 100 grams.
Wild or water rice
This rice is also called canadian rice. Very thin, long, brown color, this rice is quite easy to remember. It has a sweet taste and a pleasant nutty aroma, and wild rice is a record holder for vitamin content. This is really a very healthy rice, but it is worth remembering that it has very hard grains.
Wild rice must be soaked overnight. After that, it can be cooked — 1 Cup of rice to 3 cups of water. Even after soaking, it cooks for quite a long time — about 40 minutes.
Due to its high vitamin content, this rice is ideal as an independent dietary dish. It can also be used for soups, side dishes, and salads.
The caloric content of wild rice is 347 kcal per 100 grams.
Black or Tibetan rice
Completely black, this rice can look somewhat intimidating — especially when you start cooking it. Yes, black rice "sheds", so you should not use enameled dishes for cooking — it will turn red. Black rice smells like popcorn, and it has slightly less vitamins than wild rice.
This rice is also characterized by hard grains, so it needs to be soaked for about 3 hours. After that, you can start cooking — you will need 1 Cup of rice for 2 cups of water. Cook the black rice for about 30 minutes.
Ready-made black rice will be a little sticky, so it can be a great ingredient for spicy puddings from Thai cuisine, as well as for very unusual black sushi and rolls. This rice is also perfect for cold salads.
The caloric content of black rice is 160 kcal per 100 grams of cooked rice.
Arborio
Dense, rounded, with broad white grains, Arborio rice has become famous for risotto — a dish known all over the world. This rice greatly increases in volume during cooking, but it does not boil into porridge, which made it an ideal variety for one of the most popular dishes of Italian cuisine.
Arborio should be cooked in a wide and deep frying pan at the rate of 1 Cup of rice to 3-4 cups of water. First, one glass is poured into the rice, and as it boils, the rest of the water is added. Arborio, like all other types of rice, should not be disturbed during cooking — just shake.
In addition to risotto, this type of rice is great for making soups.
The calorie content of Arborio is 354 kcal per 100 grams.
Valencia
This type of rice is also known as Spanish rice. Valencia is a very beautiful rice, round and white, resembling small pearls. It absorbs water and sauces well, so most often this variety is used to make paella — a dish that occupies the same place in Spanish cuisine as risotto in Italian.
It is also advisable to cook Valencia in a thick-walled wide frying pan. A glass of rice will require 2-3 cups of water, and it will cook for about 20 minutes.
Valencia, like Arborio, can be used to make soups, not just paella.
The caloric content of this type of rice is 360 kcal per 100 grams.
Devzira
It is impossible not to write about this jewel from the Ferghana valley. Devzira is red Ferghana rice, long-grain, beautiful and heavy. Yes, surprisingly, but devzira is really heavier than other varieties of rice. Devzero often forged, for example, paint the brick that you can check: real red rice will not paint hands. If you RUB the grains in your hands, you will see small reddish-brown scales that are easily shaken off. But fake rice is sure to leave traces on the palms.
Devzira perfectly absorbs water, odors and fat, and when cooked, this rice increases in size by as much as seven times! It is best to soak it for 10-12 hours, and only then put it to cook. This requires 5 cups of water per Cup of rice. If you soaked devzira, the cooking time will be about 15 minutes.
What to cook from devzira? Well, of course, pilaf! Although you can use rice as a side dish.
The caloric content of devzira is 365 kcal per 100 grams.