Types of RICE
Production methods of rice
Worldwide, there are over 40,000 varieties of rice! Rice is particular popular in South-east Asian countries where it is widely consumed. India itself harvests over 200 varieties of rice every year!
Broadly, rice that is consumed in India comes in 4 forms: Raw rice, Brown Rice, Steam Rice and, Boiled (Parboiled) Rice,. Almost every variety of rice harvested in our country and over the world is consumed in any one (or more) of these forms.
Raw Rice
Raw rice is rice that isn’t parboiled, steamed or cooked in any way. This is the variety that is commonly available in stores or markets. Raw rice is processed by drying and storing paddy for a few months to a few years before it is processed or packaged for sale and consumption. Raw rice could be white, brown or red.
Features of Raw rice
- Bright white colour and attractive appearance that is preferred for rice dishes
- Cooks faster requiring little water
- Less nutritious than brown or parboiled rice due to polish
- Non-aromatic varieties may lack specific taste or fragrance
Brown Rice
Today people are increasingly opting for brown rice over regular polished white rice for the added health benefits it offers. Consuming brown rice on a daily basis can help mitigate many health issues:
- It's high fibre content and low glycemic index helps you stay full for longer, aiding weight loss.
- The bran or bran residue in brown rice can help reduce cholesterol and prevent heart disease.
- The antioxidants in brown rice help minimize the damaging effects of free radicals and also prevent many diseases.
Features of brown rice
- Has a distinct yellowish-brown colour
- Is slower to cook, and requires more water
- Difficult to digest, not recommended for infants or elderly and sick people
- More nutritious
- Aromatic with a specific taste
Boiled Rice
A mid-type between white and brown rice, boiled rice is rice that doesn’t contain any chaff/husk or bran, but still retains some of the nutrients from them. This is achieved by a process called parboiling or partial boiling, where the grains are boiled with their chaff intact. Boiling thus helps the white endosperm of rice to absorb most of the nutrients from the chaff and bran. Once boiled and cooled, the chaff is discarded, giving you parboiled rice.
Features of boiled rice
- Typically light yellow coloured
- Cooks slower since already parboiled
- Easy to digest
- Rich in nutrients
- Retains the aroma and flavour of paddy
Steam Rice
A mid-type between raw rice and boiled rice. : A mid-type between white and brown rice This is achieved by a process called steaming its done in tanks without soaking paddy and then its milled to remove the husk or chaff, and then polished to remove the bran residue, leaving only the endosperm. Once the bran residue is polished off, only the white inside remains. Steam rice is typically the most preferred type of rice for cooking and is used in a wide array of culinary preparations across India and the world mainly for hotels and catering purposes.
Features of steam rice
- Slight goldish colour and attractive appearance that is preferred for rice dishes
- Cooks faster requiring little water
- Less nutritious than brown or parboiled rice due to loss of husk and bran
- Non-aromatic varieties may lack specific taste or fragrance
