The joy of rice: find pleasure, nourishment and amazing variety as an ancient grain gets a modern-day makeover - Vital signs: news and trends for your well-being - Brief Article

Natural Health, Feb, 2004

"One type of rice nourishes 100 types of people," says Chinese proverb. But if you're the type of person who likes diversity in your diet, don't despair. These are more than 120,000 varieties of rice out there, according to the International Rice Research Institute.

Which one is healthiest? "Compare to white, jasmine or basmati, brown rice has the best overall nutrient profile, with more fiber, calcuim, phosporus, vitamin B1 and niacin," says Cynthia Sass, R.D., a spokes-woman for the American Dietetic Association.

For an exotic experience, try black forbidden rice (a short-grain variety that turns indigo when cooked; available at myspicer.com), wild pecan rice (ideal for Cajun dishes; at igourmet.com) or bamboo rice (white rice infused with bamboo extracts; at indianharvest.com). Or visit one of the new rice-thermed eateries popping up on both coasts:

* Torafuku (10914 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles; 310-470-0014; torafuku-usa.com) The first U.S. location for this Tokyo chain, Torafuku cooks all its rice in a 500-pound iron metal pot embedded in a stone oven. Dishes include rice balls stuffed with Japanese plums.

* Rice (227 Mott St., New York; 212-226-5775; riceny.com) Along with its sister location in Brooklyn, this mini-chain serves up eggplant sushi rolled in Japanese rice and Thai shrimp rice balls. Try an order of "special rice" (Bhutanese red, Thai black or Lebanese) flavored with sauces like mango chutney, yogurt or avocado salsa.

* Rice to Riches (37 Spring St., New York; 212-274-0008; ricetoriches.com) It's all rice pudding, all the time: Flavors include maple with sun-dried blueberries, pistachio with sage, and mascarpone cheese with toasted ramen noodles or oven-roasted fresh fruit, are shipped nationwide.