Rice, The Symbol Of Life

Talking about cooking last time, I forgot to mention about rice, anyway, I am sure all of us would know that we, Khmer, are consuming rice as stable food everyday. Rice is part of the rituals and ceremonies and it is part of religious offerings.

According to one of our Khmer cookbooks, there are more than 2000 rice varieties indigenous to Cambodia, and more than 40,000 rice varieties world wide.

Here, I am just briefly describing some rice are mostly used in South East Asia and around the world.


Jasmine Rice (SE Asia),
Jasmine Rice is the best aromatic rice well known in the world. The grains of Jasmine rice appear silky, smooth and shiny.


White Rice (SE Asia),
White Rice means rice that is obtained by removing bran from Cargo non-glutinous rice.



White Glutinous Rice (SE Asia),
White Glutinous Rice means sticky rice or sweet rice, consists of amylase and amylopectin starch. With a chalky white texture, glutinous rice is often use in producing starch and flour.


Black Glutinous Rice (SE Asia),
Black Glutinous Rice has a rich, nutty flavor that is distinctly different from the more subtle taste of glutinous rice. It is generally sweetened with coconut milk and sugar and eaten as a snack or dessert.

Black Rice (SE Asia),
Black Rice could be either medium or long grain. Precooked black rice has white kernels inside the black bran. Once cooked, the rice becomes deep dark purple with a nutty flavor and whole grain texture.

Red Rice ( SE Asia),
Red Rice has a shorter and wider seed than long grain rice. A typical red rice plant has an unusually hard grain, which retains its shape after an hour of cooking.

Brown Rice (SE Asia),
Brown Rice similar to White Rice. The only difference between these two varieties is the milling; milling remove both the husk and the bran layer of kernel. Brown rice contains more nutrient than White Rice and very high in fiber and vitamin B.

Basmati ( India)
Basmati Rice is a variety of long grain rice , famous for its fragrance and delicate flavor. Its name means "The Fragrant One" in Hindi, but it can also mean the "Soft Rice." Basmati Rice can only be cultivated in the Indian subcontinent at the Himalayan foothills.

The grains of basmati rice are much longer than they are wide, and they grow even longer as they cook. They stay firm and separate, not sticky, after cooking. Basmati rice is available both as a White rice and a Brown rice. Brown rice takes longer to cook than white, about 30 minutes as opposed to 10. Due to the high amount of starch clinging to the rice grains, many cooks wash this rice before cooking it. Soaking it for half an hour to two hours before cooking makes the grains less likely to break during cooking.

Wild Rice (United States)
Wild rice has been the staple food of the Sioux and Chippewa . Wild rice is not a rice it is a grain. Wild rice are seeds of a water grass. They are long and dark brown with black colorings. Just a wonderful smoky, nutty flavor and chewy in texture. Wild rice from lakes are the best choice as they are far superior than cultivated wild rice. Although, cultivated paddies provide excellent breeding ground for waterfowl and other wildlife.


Arborio Rice ( Italy)
Arborio rice, a pearly-looking, round, fat, Italian white rice, forms the foundation of risotto, the dish. Riso means rice in Italian. Like other rices, Arborio is a member of the grass family. What distinguishes it is a higher than normal amount of soluble starch that is released during cooking. The starch is what makes a risotto creamy.

Arborio rice takes about eighteen minutes to cook. It is done when it is al dente, tender on the outside and firm in the center.



Sushi Rice (Japan)
Sushi rice is white short grain Japanese rice, which has a consistency that differ from other long-grain strains sush as Basmati rice. The essential quality is its stickiness. Rice that is too sticky has a mushy texture. .The most Important technique in the preparation of sushi is how to make sushi rice, that is called 'shari,' 'sushi-meshi,' or 'su-meshi' (vinegar[ed] - [cooked]rice), in its best condition, and that depends on how perfectly mix-up the cooked rice and vinegar-mixture (awase-zu) together deliciously. The taste of sushi greatly depends on the taste of sushi rice. It is often said that the rice part shares as much as 60% of it, according to the opinions of many sushi chefs. The key factor is the 'shari' itself, as well as fish (sashimi) quality.