The Rice Revolution - rice nutrition and cookery

Vegetarian Times, Sept, 1999 by Susan Jane Cheney

JASMINE A delicately flavored rice with an almost floral fragrance. This long-grain Thai native is now also grown in the U.S. It cooks to a slightly stickier consistency than other long-grain varieties and will not harden when refrigerated, as some others will.

SUSHI A white, sticky-textured medium-grain variety often imported from Asia. It is mainly used for Japanese nori-wrapped rolls.

SWEET (glutinous; sticky) A round, starchy, short-grain Asian variety that is exceptionally sticky and sweet. Steaming is the best cooking method to prevent a gluey texture. This rice, which comes both brown and refined, is traditionally used for porridge and sweets and to make small Japanese rice cakes called mochi.

TEXMATI A brand name for a hybrid of basmati and Texas-grown long-grain rice that was developed in the 1970s. Available in both brown and refined forms, it has a somewhat milder flavor than basmati and doesn't elongate as much during cooking. Calmati is a similar hybrid grown in California.

VALENCIA A medium-grain variety from Spain, especially suitable for the Spanish dish paella. Look for it in specialty food markets.

WEHANI A basmati hybrid loosely named for its developers: Wendell, Eldon, Homer, Albert and Harlan Lundberg, of Lundberg Family Farms in California. This unrefined long-grain variety has a rich russet color, nutty flavor and "popcorn" aroma when cooked.

WILD PECAN Another basmati hybrid, grown in Louisiana and golden brown in color because it retains a bit of bran. Intensely aromatic and flavorful, this rice cooks quickly.

WILD Not a true rice--it's actually the seed of an aquatic grass--but its long dark grain resembles rice. Indigenous to the northern Great Lakes region and southern Canada, it was a staple food for local Native Americans. Some is still hand-harvested in the wild, though commercial wild rice cultivation and machine harvesting are increasingly common. Wild rice is higher in protein and B vitamins than regular rice. It has a deeply earthy flavor and fluffy texture when cooked. Always rinse well before using. For economy, try mixing it with long-grain brown rice in recipes.

Susan Jane Cheney is a longtime contributor to Vegetarian Times.