Rice: Filling and Flavourful

Tuck into a bowl of hot, steamy goodness. DIANE GODLEY

Imay be small in stature, but I am almighty when it comes to feeding the world. This is no baseless boast. I, unassuming rice, can claim bragging rights as being the most widely consumed staple food on the planet. Some may argue that more tonnes of sugarcane and corn are harvested each year, but large portions of those crops are used for non-edible purposes. Whereas I, the mere seed of the grass species Oryza sativa, am the Earth’s most important food crop; on average, I provide you humans with one-fifth of the kilojoules you consume daily.

Ranging in size from five to 12 millimetres, I also come in an assortment of colours, varieties and names. After harvest, when my husk is still intact, you choose to call me paddy rice. At this stage I am not edible, as you humans are unable to digest my rough outer layer. When this layer, my husk or hull is removed, my bran layer is revealed. I am now called brown rice, although not all my ancestors are brown when dehulled.

As my colour is derived from my bran layer and germ, or embryo, some of my family are light yellow in colour, some red, while the black grain is a class all of its own. In fact, in ancient China, black rice was out of reach of many hungry mouths. It was known as the ‘forbidden rice’, as only those belonging to the upper classes could afford to eat it. Black rice,

which has a similar amount of fibre as brown rice and a mild, nutty taste, turns deep purple during cooking.

When my bran and germ are intact, I provide you with larger amounts of dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals than when you remove it to eat only my delicate white centre, the kernel. But it would seem taste reigns over nutritional value when it comes to the food you humans prefer to eat, as the vast majority of me sitting on your supermarket shelves has been milled and pol ished to remove the bran and germ, revealing my pearly white kernel. One advantage of the milling process is, however, that my shelf life is extended, as my outer layers contain more lipids which are susceptible to spoiling – so you may be on to something there.

Size matters

My length and shape are important factors when choosing the kind of dish you wish to make, as my distinct varieties and size provide very different outcomes after cooking.

Long-grain varieties, such as jasmine (which is mostly grown in Thailand and is named after the jasmine flower) and basmati (mostly grown in southern Asia), expand to more than double their dry length during cooking and deliver a plateful of firm and fluffy magnificence. While the delicate aroma of freshly cooked jasmine goes perfectly with seafood dishes and is used to make Thai desserts, basmati, which is rich in amino and folic acids and has a nutty taste, is a popular choice for fried rice.

Medium-grain rice is a favourite in Japan, Korea and Northern China and has a soft, moist, sticky texture after cooking. My cousin arborio, also medium in stature, started life in Italy. It boasts a firm internal texture and creamy exterior and is perfect for absorbing f lavour and stocks. Mamas throughout the big boot have been using my good cousin for centuries to make the perfect buttery risotto.

My short-grain family, including glutinous or sticky, has a similar texture to my medium-grain clan and is widely used in Asian delicacies, especially sushi. The grain of my glutinous ancestor (so called because of its glue-like texture, not because it contains gluten – it doesn’t!) has a low amylose content, making it sticky when cooked.

Adaptability

But I am eaten in more ways than just a bowl of hot, steamy loveliness. When I am ground, I am turned into a gluten-free flour. With my flour I am used to make rice noodles and South

MY LENGTH AND SHAPE ARE IMPORTANT FACTORS

Indian pancakes. I can be used to thicken soups and stews, as well as provide an alternative to wheat flour for humans suffering from coeliac disease.

My flour’s relatively neutral taste makes it perfect to be mixed with milder f lavours. This gives me an advantage over other grains as I am not overpowering and therefore less f lavour enhancers are needed. Did I also mention that my f lour is hypoallergenic, making it ideal as infant cereal?

But my uses don’t stop there. I am baked and made into the lightest, crispiest rice crackers. I am turned into vinegar, as well as wine and cooking oil. I was even added to the mortar of the Great Wall of China during the Ming Dynasty (13681644) to give it extra strength and help it survive earthquakes. Is there no end to my uses?

Did I mention that I’m also versatile to grow? In fact, I can be grown almost anywhere, as long as I am watered well.

Given my many attributes, it’s no wonder that they say ‘rice is life’.