If you had asked me years ago whether I preferred white or brown rice, I'd have gone for the first without hesitation. Then I'd have added, "Long-grain or basmati" because its light, airy nature makes it almost disappear into the background against the main player of a stew, curry or stir-fry.
With age, though, comes a certain refinement of the palate, and the brashness of myyouth – "Brown rice is forhippies" – has given way to afar more reasonable approach. Inow understand how varied the world of cultivated rice is; that rice can play the lead or be a sidekick; that brown rice is as valuable as white; and that short-grain rice is the bee's knees.
Still, this diversity – there are more than 7,000 kinds of rice, varying in texture, colour, taste and shape – can be mind-boggling. Sri Owen's The RiceBook (Francis Lincoln, £20) is awelcome window into this complex world, but in the meantime, and to keep things simple, the distinction between long-, medium- and short-grain, and between brown and white, is quite enough to be going on with.
Long-, medium- and short-grain rices differ in the amount and type of starch they have. Generally, the more amylose (one kind of starch) in the rice, the more water is needed for cooking it and the fluffier it will be. Short-grain rice is low in amylose and therefore sticky and glutinous, and it's this that makes it so perfect for eating with chopsticks or pressing together for sushi. And it's the high levels of amylose in long-grain rice that make it join together and harden as it cools (unlike short-grain sushi rice, which remains tender even at room temperature).
As the name suggests, medium-grain rice sits somewhere between the two. Medium-grain is what's used in paella and risotto, and the differences between those two dishes are, again, down to the starch: with a shaken-not-stirred paella, it's kept in the grains, whereas the continuous stirring of a risotto releases it creamily through the dish.
The difference between brown and white rice is that the former is not milled. With the outer bran and germ intact, the rice is therefore chewier and nuttier. If you haven't had it for a while (or indeed ever), give it a try: add some next time you make chicken soup, or serve with aslow-cooked meat stew. It's not just for the herbal-tea-and-tofu crew.
Miso veg and rice with black sesame dressing
Serves four.
300g sushi rice
1½ tsp dashi stock powder (or other powdered stock)
1½ tbsp soy sauce
1½ tbsp mirin
30g dark red miso paste
1½ tsp caster sugar
220g broccolini, trimmed and cut inhalf widthways (if on the thick side, cut in half lengthways, too)
165g buna shimeji mushrooms, divided into small clumps
1 large carrot, cut into thin 0.5cmx6cm batons
50g mangetout, finely shredded lengthways
100g cucumber, cut into thin 0.5cmx 6cm batons
10g picked coriander leaves
For the black sesame dressing
40g toasted peanuts, finely chopped
15g black sesame seeds (use white ifyou can't get hold of black)
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp groundnut oil
½ tsp chilli flakes
Soak the rice for 15 minutes in cold water, drain, place in a medium saucepan for which you have a lid and pour over 375ml of water. Coverthe pan, bring to a boil, then turn the heat as low as it will go. Cook for 10 minutes, remove from the heat and leave, covered, for afurther 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, put all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mixtogether well.
Pour another 375ml of water into asecond medium pan and add the dashi powder, soy sauce, mirin, miso paste and sugar. Bring to a boil,stirring occasionally, then lower the heat to medium. Add thebroccolini, simmer for four minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside while you cook the other vegetables in the same water. Add the mushrooms, cook forthree minutes and remove. Repeat with the carrot – cook that for two minutes – mangetout (one minute) and cucumber (15 seconds). When all the vegetables have been cooked and set aside, increase the temperature under the pan and reduce the stock until there is about60ml left.
Divide the rice between four bowls and place the vegetables on top. Spoon over the reduced cooking liquid, followed by the dressing. Finish with the picked coriander and serve at once.
Hearty fried rice
This is one of my favourite meals ina bowl – it's just the perfect way toend a long and busy day. Servestwo to four.
150g short-grain brown rice (myfavourite is the Japanese yumenishiki)
320ml chicken stock
4 tbsp sunflower oil
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and black pepper
8 spring onions, cut into 0.5cm slices
150g french beans, topped and tailed, blanched for three minutes and refreshed
150g brussels sprouts or savoy cabbage, cut into 0.5cm slices
230g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
10g ginger, peeled and julienned
1 red chilli (or more, to taste), deseeded and thinly sliced
¾ tsp soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
10g picked coriander
Sriracha sauce, to serve
Put the rice in a small saucepan with the stock. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat as low as possible, cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside, still covered, for 10 minutes.
Put a tablespoon of oil in amedium nonstick pan over medium heat. Season the eggs with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper, and add to the oil. Leave for a few seconds, then stir with a wooden spoon. Carry on cooking and stirring for 30 seconds to a minute, until the eggs are softly scrambled. Set aside.
Heat another tablespoon of oil in alarge frying pan or a wok over high heat. Add the spring onions, stir-fry for two minutes, then add the beans and sprouts, along with a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Keeping the heat high, sauté for four or five minutes more, until all the vegetables have taken on some colour. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, add the prawns, garlic, ginger and chilli, and sauté for three minutes, stirring often, until the prawns are cooked through and starting to char. Remove from the pan and add to the sprouts and beans.
Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Add the rice and fry, without stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the soysauce and vinegar, stir and cook,stirring, for another two minutes. Add all the cooked ingredients and stir very gently to warm through. Serve at once, with some picked coriander and Sriracha sauce on the side.
