Do you know how many different varieties of rice there is worldwide? The answer is 40, 000!!! Yes… That’s  correct. Surprised?

Luckely we can divide rice in 4 major types of rice:

• Indica
• Japonica
• Aromatic
• Glutinous

Indica rice is a wide group of countless various varieties of rice that’s typically cultivated in warm climates. It has a typically long grain and once cooked indica rice doesn’t stick together and continues to be light and cosy. The majority of the rice cultivated in Southern Asia, including India and Thailand, is Indica rice.

Japonica, also known as japonese rice, uruchimai or sushi rice, is a short-grain kind of rice recognized by a distinctive, fairly sticky texture. As you may have already guessed, it’s a main ingredient in Japanese cooking.

Aromatic rice is a medium to long-grained rice. It’s known for the nut-like fragrance and flavor, that is caused  by the chemical substance 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline. Types of aromatic rice comprise: basmati, jasmine, Texmati, Wehani, and wild pecan rice. Once cooked, the grains have a light and cosy consistency.

Glutinous rice also referred to as sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin chal, mochi rice, and pearl  rice, and pulut, is a kind of Asian rice which is particularly sticky once cooked. It’s named glutinous because it is glue-like or sticky (not because the contain gluten). Although named “sticky”, it isn’t  to be mislead with other types of Asian rice, that come to be somewhat sticky once cooked.

Why should you include rice in your diet?

Besides behing delicious you may find a lot of benefits, like:

• Great source of energy
• Cholesterol free
• Rich in vitamins
• Resistant starch
• Blood pressure management
• Cancer prevention

What is the better way to cook rice?

For those that haven’t much time to cook the ideal is using an electric rice cooker. For more information about  this appliance check out: http://www.electricricecooker.net

For those that really enjoy cooking here’s the 7 step process:

1. Rinse the rice. This will help to get rid of any starch and pollutants. You should rinse the rice till the water is clear.
2. Combine long grain rice and water. Add 1.5 cups of water per cup of long grain rice.
3. Bring the rice to a boil, uncovered, at medium heat.
4. Turn down the heat and place the lid at an angle to allow steam to escape.
5. As soon as the rice has been cooking for a little bit, search for holes or “craters” within the rice.
6. If you can see holes within the rice, put the lid on tight. Turn the heat down to low.
7. Simmer, Fluff and Serve – Simmer the covered rice for another 15 minutes. Fluff it up with a fork and serve hot.