I always get confused in American supermarkets. Growing up, I only ever knew that the rice to buy was what came in those large sacks with a picture of an elephant on it, and it came from Thailand. It would take me five years to finish a 20-pound bag on my own though.
When I go to a regular American grocery store, I see “long grain rice”, “jasmine rice”, “basmati rice”, and all that, and I have no idea what any of it is.
Long grain is American style rice, like uncle bens for example. It’s creamier than jasmine rice, but not quite as much as arborio rice which is the stuff you need to make (Italian) risotto.
Jasmine rice is an American version of a standard Chinese style rice used for stir fry. It usually works well for most American style Asian dishes.
You’ll also see sticky rice which is Japanese rice used for sushi.
Lastly Basmati rice is Indian rice and is characterized by not being creamy at all. You can pick out individual grains quite easily. To me, Basmati rice on a plate acts like 1000 individual items you have to eat rather than like long grain or arborio rice where a big scoop of it feels like 1 single thing you are taking bites of. It really is necessary for authentic Indian food though.
Jasmine rice is NOT an American variety. It’s a long grain rice from Thailand and Loas. It was first grown in Northern Thailand and its cultivation had nothing to do with America at all. It’s also a very popular rice in Asia and therefore works well for many Asian Asian dishes and not just American Asian dishes.
This may be a bit pedantic/regional so I apologize for that but I’ve always heard of what you call “sticky rice” as “sushi rice” which is a short grain Japanese specific type of rice. Sticky rice as I am familiar with it is glutinous rice and is basically a gluey slab of sweetened rice.
Sorry, I just meant that the jasmine rice we get in the US seems different than the stuff you get in a more authentic asian restaurant, but this could be due to many factors. I do realize that jasmine rice was not invented in the US though.
I’ve heard both sticky rice and sushi rice used interchangeably, I’m not sure if one is more correct than the other.
That’s likely due to quality, how they’re cooking it, and how fresh the rice is itself.
Jasmine rice loses its smell pretty fast and restaurants go through a lot so they and their suppliers are likely turning their stock faster and getting fresher rice.
The amount of water can make a huge difference in steaming rice even in a rice cooker. The packaging I see usually calls for like 1 1/4 water to 1 cup rice but personally I prefer a 1:1 ratio. Also always remember to fluff after it’s cooked!
American stores are also unlikely to carry some of the top Jasmine rice brands. I suggest a Thai brand whenever you can for Jasmine rice. I personally like the three ladies but there are other good Thai brands too.
I always get confused in American supermarkets. Growing up, I only ever knew that the rice to buy was what came in those large sacks with a picture of an elephant on it, and it came from Thailand. It would take me five years to finish a 20-pound bag on my own though.
When I go to a regular American grocery store, I see “long grain rice”, “jasmine rice”, “basmati rice”, and all that, and I have no idea what any of it is.
Long grain is American style rice, like uncle bens for example. It’s creamier than jasmine rice, but not quite as much as arborio rice which is the stuff you need to make (Italian) risotto.
Jasmine rice is an American version of a standard Chinese style rice used for stir fry. It usually works well for most American style Asian dishes.
You’ll also see sticky rice which is Japanese rice used for sushi.
Lastly Basmati rice is Indian rice and is characterized by not being creamy at all. You can pick out individual grains quite easily. To me, Basmati rice on a plate acts like 1000 individual items you have to eat rather than like long grain or arborio rice where a big scoop of it feels like 1 single thing you are taking bites of. It really is necessary for authentic Indian food though.
Jasmine rice is NOT an American variety. It’s a long grain rice from Thailand and Loas. It was first grown in Northern Thailand and its cultivation had nothing to do with America at all. It’s also a very popular rice in Asia and therefore works well for many Asian Asian dishes and not just American Asian dishes.
This may be a bit pedantic/regional so I apologize for that but I’ve always heard of what you call “sticky rice” as “sushi rice” which is a short grain Japanese specific type of rice. Sticky rice as I am familiar with it is glutinous rice and is basically a gluey slab of sweetened rice.
Sorry, I just meant that the jasmine rice we get in the US seems different than the stuff you get in a more authentic asian restaurant, but this could be due to many factors. I do realize that jasmine rice was not invented in the US though.
I’ve heard both sticky rice and sushi rice used interchangeably, I’m not sure if one is more correct than the other.
That’s likely due to quality, how they’re cooking it, and how fresh the rice is itself.
Jasmine rice loses its smell pretty fast and restaurants go through a lot so they and their suppliers are likely turning their stock faster and getting fresher rice.
The amount of water can make a huge difference in steaming rice even in a rice cooker. The packaging I see usually calls for like 1 1/4 water to 1 cup rice but personally I prefer a 1:1 ratio. Also always remember to fluff after it’s cooked!
American stores are also unlikely to carry some of the top Jasmine rice brands. I suggest a Thai brand whenever you can for Jasmine rice. I personally like the three ladies but there are other good Thai brands too.
I have always done 2:1 water to rice, didn’t know that was too much.