Buying Rice?

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HumbleHomeCook

HumbleHomeCook

Embrace your knifesculinity!
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Okay KKF how's about some input on buying rice?

I live in the US and not in a coastal metropolis but we have a couple decent-sized Asian markets. Let's baseline this at all my rice is from grocery store chains.

What am I looking for in the Asian markets? Should I take a pic of the labels?

I accept what I have access to may only be so good, just wondering if there's some differentiators to look for?
 
What kind of rice are you looking for? Rice typically for Chinese food is different than Japanese or Indian for example.
 
My favorite type of rice is koshihikari. Always comes out perfect for me. I buy this brand : https://www.amazon.com/Shirakiku-Ri...grocery&sprefix=white+rice,grocery,106&sr=1-8

and I know it can be found quite easily at my asian stores near me. I use it for fried rice, plain, with curry...etc etc. Also hear it is decent for making sushi. Not an expert in rice whatsoever, but I always use to have calrose in college in our rice cooker and it always came out meh no matter how much I washed it, and using a good rice cooker.

No idea if this is expensive or cheap (again you will find it cheaper in store vs amazon I'm sure) but I do know koshihikari is seen as a higher quality type of short grain rice....so it may be very expensive compared to others. However a 4 lb bag lasts me at least 2-3 months but I do not eat rice super often
 
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HumbleHomeCook said:
Okay KKF how's about some input on buying rice?

I live in the US and not in a coastal metropolis but we have a couple decent-sized Asian markets. Let's baseline this at all my rice is from grocery store chains.

What am I looking for in the Asian markets? Should I take a pic of the labels?

I accept what I have access to may only be so good, just wondering if there's some differentiators to look for?
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The staple in my house is aged basmati. Swad, Deer, and Royal are brands I've seen all around the country. Costco usually carries legit aged basmati (although your might have to buy 25 pounds).

But I'm biased towards Himalayan/Indian/Mowgli cuisine.
 
Definitely depends on which style of rice you prefer. For instance, with Jasmine rice, most brands will have subtle differences in overall quality, aroma and amount of water needed to cook. You’ll just need to experiment with different brands. Three ladies, ducky and elephant brand are all good for Jasmine . Also pay attention to the year on the bag. The newest/freshest releases of bags will always be more aromatic and produce a softer cooked rice. Rice from the previous year will always require a touch more water and produce a drier and more separated grain, which is better for making fried rice.
 
Stx00lax said:
Definitely depends on which style of rice you prefer. For instance, with Jasmine rice, most brands will have subtle differences in overall quality, aroma and amount of water needed to cook. You’ll just need to experiment with different brands. Three ladies, ducky and elephant brand are all good for Jasmine . Also pay attention to the year on the bag. The newest/freshest releases of bags will always be more aromatic and produce a softer cooked rice. Rice from the previous year will always require a touch more water and produce a drier and more separated grain, which is better for making fried rice.
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I really enjoyed a jasmine rice with an elephant on the bag, forgot the exact brand because when I search, multiple pop up.
 
Have been buying from the Rice Factory for a couple years now: the rice factory NEW YORK and I have developed a far better appreciation of rice and the different varieties than I had before. They get shipments in about every month or so. They also have a good selection of reasonably priced pantry items.

As for types Hokkaido Yumeprika is an excellent baseline. I'm currently enjoying the Miyagi Sasanishiki.
 
stringer said:
The staple in my house is aged basmati. Swad, Deer, and Royal are brands I've seen all around the country. Costco usually carries legit aged basmati (although your might have to buy 25 pounds).

But I'm biased towards Himalayan/Indian/Mowgli cuisine.
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Myself not being a rice snob... can you elaborate on the difference between aged and non-aged basmati? Never heard of it.
 
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On basmati theme: there is also a smoked basmati, which is popular in Persian cuisine. It is often used mixed in smaller quantities with regular basmati, adding aroma and flavor.
 
Jovidah said:
Myself not being a rice snob... can you elaborate on the difference between aged and non-aged basmati? Never heard of it.
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have you tried Acquarello for risotto? If not give it a try, warning; I became a rice snob using that as gateway drug ;-)
 
I really like Kokuho rose and Nishiki, very good texture for Eastern Asian style of cuisine, they are more sticky and absorb more water, they are good to pair with anything. I also like Jasmine rice, different texture, drier but more fragrant, they are good with more spicy cuisine.
 
tostadas said:
What kind of rice are you looking for? Rice typically for Chinese food is different than Japanese or Indian for example.
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Chinese also got different rice depends on where the cuisine is from, Oryza sativa Japonica (Short grain rice) is more popular in the north and Oryza sativa Indica is more popular in the south. Japonica is more prized due to their softer texture and moist, Indica is harder and longer, they also can be planted 3 times a year so they are the majority of rice production.
 
MarcelNL said:
have you tried Acquarello for risotto? If not give it a try, warning; I became a rice snob using that as gateway drug ;-)
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No I never even heard of it. So far I've just bought whatever carnaroli rice was on sale at Hanos/Sligro... always left me satisfied so far. But maybe I'll give it a go at some point; according to the website Sligro has it. How does it differ from the normal risotto rice?
 
Jovidah said:
No I never even heard of it. So far I've just bought whatever carnaroli rice was on sale at Hanos/Sligro... always left me satisfied so far. But maybe I'll give it a go at some point; according to the website Sligro has it. How does it differ from the normal risotto rice?
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it can absorb more stock due to being aged (dried), while keeping a creamy texture. The difference is not like day and night but very noticeable especially when you already use good stock and great ingredients IME, just give it a whirl the small cans are affordable enough.
 
Jovidah said:
Myself not being a rice snob... can you elaborate on the difference between aged and non-aged basmati? Never heard of it.
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It is aged for 2-4 years to eliminate as much moisture as possible. This concentrates the flavor and aroma. It also changes the texture of the rice so that when you cook it, it is fluffier. Some research has shown that it is easier to digest and absorb nutrients from aged rice as well. It is a little more expensive than non-aged Basmati but in my opinion well worth it.
 
stringer said:
It is aged for 2-4 years to eliminate as much moisture as possible. This concentrates the flavor and aroma. It also changes the texture of the rice so that when you cook it, it is fluffier. Some research has shown that it is easier to digest and absorb nutrients from aged rice as well. It is a little more expensive than non-aged Basmati but in my opinion well worth it.
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I never knew it existed, thanks! I already found out that a major groecery chain sells it (AH, Mehnat brand)
 
I prefer Sona Masoori over Basmati as an Indian rice variety. Less dry, more flavourful taste and better texture.
 
I live in New Zealand but this might actually be relevant as I like rice from the US. For my everyday 'stir fry' rice I go for California grown medium-grain rice aimed at the Korean market, I find it easy to cook (in a sauce pan on the stove) and delicious. Brands like Rhee Chun and Wang Hangawee rice (shown below).

I also keep Basmati on hand.

Also I like to make Uzbek style lamb plov, and for this (just in case it's randomly of interest!) what's available that seems to work best is Spanish rice aimed at paella, like Calasparra rice.
rheechun.jpg
hangawee.jpg
 
tostadas said:
What kind of rice are you looking for? Rice typically for Chinese food is different than Japanese or Indian for example.
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I guess in terms of cuisine, I cook a lot more Chinese-based stuff than the others. I do like cooking Middle Eastern and Indian but I cook those much less frequently.


Thanks for all the responses so far KKF!
 
i eat a lot of rice. i dont want to buy the bomb-diggity rice for my everyday needs. i just grab a bag of Calrose, hopefully on sale and move on with my life. its all getting so pricey these days anyways.
 
For Jasmine rice I've tried a few brands at my Asian grocer and always come back to the Elephant brand. 25lb bags last about 3 months in my house, and it's always super fresh at the asian grocer.

For Japanese I always use Nishiki.
 
I usually use Nishiki, but recently picked up a 50lb bag of Costco Calrose to give a try.

Hopefully will serve was a solid table rice.
 
Koshihikari is often seen as the standard sushi rice. It’s a great Japanese short grain rice. The brand mentioned above is distributed by Nishimoto (which usually carries decent products).

Specifically regarding Japanese short grain rice, the two biggest things that make a difference in my opinion are amount of time after milling from brown rice and cooking method. Freshly milled Japanese short grain rice has better flavor and texture. I’m also a huge donabe fan. There’s no doubt that electric rice cookers are easier, more convenient, and more consistent. Nothing wrong with cooking in a regular pot either. But donabe cooking really makes a great texture when done well.
 
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