Quick Facts About Rice

• The edible rice grain is actually the seed of a rice plant (semiaquatic annual grass).
• Every rice grain is harvested in its hull (husk), a hard and inedible outermost layer. Just beneath the hull is the kernel.
• When the kernels undergo a refining process, they will be stripped from their husk, bran and germ to gain the final polished and white grains (endosperm).
• Milling is the process to remove the hull and bran.
• Rice is basically categorized into long, medium or short grain.
• The amount of amylose, a starch present in rice will determine how sticky and fluffy the rice grains will turn out after being cooked.
• Long grain rice is 4 to 5 times as long as the width. It is slender and whitish. When long grain rice is cooked, grains remain separate and fluffy. A good choice for main dish, side dish or salad recipes.
• Medium grain rice means grain fits just in between the long and short grains. It is about 2 or 3 times as long as the width. Cooked grains are more moist and softer than the long grains. Perfect for dessert, casserole, bread and stir-fry recipes.
• Short grain rice is almost round and plump. Cooked grains tend to stay moist and gummy (sticking to each other). Great for sushi, stir-fry recipes and puddings. Has the highest amylose content among the 3 types of grains.
• Though vitamins and minerals can be added to enrich white (refined) rice to a certain extent, unfortunately there is no way to replace the dietary fiber that is lost during the refining process.
• Rice is so versatile that it can go really well with any dish like sambal, curry, sweet and sour, vegetables, stew and soup.
• It is also popular in numerous Asian dishes to cook rice with coconut milk, garlic, coriandar leaves, parsley, ginger, pandan leaves (screwpine leaves) to make plain rice smell very fragrant.
• The quality of the rice grains, the kind of water used and the cooking method determines the quality of cooked rice.
• Cooked rice breeds the pathogenic organism bacillus cereus and can cause food poisoning when eaten. Always keep cooked rice in the fridge for not more than 2 days.

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