About Rice

Rice is a common ingredient of the Latin American food and of course the Panamanian one.  Below is a description of this grain and some common varieties readily available today.  If you want to replace white by brown rice, consider that water and time requirements may change. It is recommended to follow instructions included in packaging.

Rice is composed of mainly of carbohydrates in the form of starch. Starch is a tasteless and odorless powder that is insoluble in cold water or alcohol. Its structure is made up of two types of molecules, amylose (20-30%) and amylopectin (70-80%).  Amylose is resistant to digestion and has been found to be an effective prebiotic. On the contrary, amylopectin is quickly degraded.

Based on its size, rice grain can vary from large, medium to short. And within these classifications, we can find numberless varieties.

Long grain (white and brown rice): Its length is three times its width.  Basmati from India and Jasmin from Thailand are two well know aromatic varieties of this grain.  This gran is high in amylose and when cooked, is generally loose with some exceptions (Thai Sticky Rice and Carolina) which tend to stick while cooking.

Medium grain: A bit shorter than the long grain.  This grain is high in amylopectin and absorbs more water, reason for it to stick while cooking.  Arborio rice is a typical example of medium grain rice (also short grain) and it is the perfect rice to absorb flavors.  That is why is used in paellas and sweet dishes.

Short grain: This grain tends to be round when compared to the previous ones. It is very sticky and one great example is Uruchimai or Sushi Rice.

Glutinous rice is the name given to those varieties with high amylopectin content and low on amylose. This composition makes it very sticky when cooked, thus is nickname “Sticky Rice”. It is chewier than the regular varieties.

Parboiled rice is rice that has been boiled in its husk by soaking, steaming and then drying the grain.  This process helps the grain retained its nutritional value.  When is uncooked its color is yellowish but turns white when cooked. It takes longer to cook and does not absorbs flavors as easily.

Wild rice (or Indian Rice, Canada Rice, Water Oats) is longer than the long grain rice and darker.  It comes from an aquatic plant grown mostly in North America.

Brown rice is rice that still has the bran hull which makes it high in fiber and vitamins.

Red rice is unhulled or partially hulled rice which has a red husk.  It has a nutty flavor and a high nutritional value.

Black rice from China (also known and Purple Rice) is a range of rice types with some of them being glutinous rice.  It has a nutty flavor and a high nutritional value. The bran hull contains one of the highest levels of anthocyanin (water-soluble pigments) antioxidants found in food.