What Flavor Is It?

 

The nine rice’s described below represent a range of distinctive flavors as well as textures (per WHFoods). From this you can see the wide variety of rices.

1. Some Asian producers package a version called quick-cooking brown rice, from which part of the bran has been milled off, cutting cooking time considerably; quick-cooking brands are sold online and at many Asian markets.
2. Long-grain brown rice is widely available in supermarkets. It usually requires more water and more time to cook but yields grains with a springy character that is suited for casseroles or other baked dishes.
3. Medium-grain brown rice tends to be stickier and when cooked more tender than long-grain rice; it’s the most common type grown in Spain and is ideal for paellas. (Side note here on paellas: a Spanish dish usually containing rice, meat and a vegetable, but other key ingredients include saffron and olive oil).
4. Brown basmati rice, grown in South Asia, gets longer, not fatter, when cooked. It develops a firm and dry consistency, which makes it perfect for pilafs.
5. Aromatic jasmine rice has the elegant look of long-grain varieties but cooks up moist and tender, more similar to a medium-grain rice. You can find it in most Asian markets.
6. Nicknamed baby basmati, tiny kalijira rice grains could almost be mistaken for couscous.
7. Nutty-sweet red rice, derives its color from a pigment in its bran layers; some types are sweet enough to use in puddings.
8. Ideal for croquettes and risottos, short-grain brown rice can have an almost creamy texture when cooked.
9. Expensive and hard to find in the States, Japan’s haiga-mai is a partially milled rice where the bran has been removed but not the nutrient-packed germ, or embryo.