“Flavourful rice makes a dish look great and taste nice!” Rice lovers may mean this statement. Because eating rice is an epicurean delight for them. If you’re one of those die-hard rice fans, we are sure that you never let your pantry go out of rice, do you?

Rice is a go-to culinary solution for almost every meal. And its endless varieties in various colors do not miss the opportunity to make people fall in love with it! Mix rice to milk with sugar, and your perfect dessert is ready. Fry up the leftover rice, and it becomes a hearty meal. Put it in a saucy or soupy dish, and it will work as a perfect soaker.

Rice is the perfect shape-shifter that quickly gels up with beans, meats, lentils, vegetables, or any side dish. Even seasoned chefs swear of its versatility — both in health and taste. Now that we all are going towards home-cooked meals, many amateur cooks have started digging into the satisfying recipes they can make from rice.

From fragrant basmati rice to sticky sushi rice, we are going to tell you about different types of rice you can stockpile in your pantry.

Let’s check it out!

Basmati Rice

Basmati is a popular variety of rice known for its long-grain, nutty flavor, and aroma. The fluffy, clean texture of basmati soaks up curries and saucy Indian dishes. It is also ideal in making rice pilaf by combining various ingredients such as nuts and vegetables.

You can stockpile both white basmati and brown basmati rice. However, the brown version is healthier as its outer husk remains intact. Also, brown rice provides dietary fiber, fatty acids, and many other nutrients.

Basmati rice is easy to cook as well. All you have to do is rinse it until the water runs clear. What’s more? You can use basmati rice to make delicious Biryani, Pulao, and other dishes transferring you to the world of fragrance.

Sella Basmati Rice  

Sella basmati rice is created by parboiling the paddy. Once parboiled, the paddy is dried first before going for the milling process. The rice turns golden in color after parboiling. That’s why it is also called ‘Golden Sella’ rice.

As far as the texture of the rice is concerned, it's long, slender, translucent, and firmer. And as it's parboiled, it contains more nutritional values than other rice varieties.

Sella rice is also great in absorbing flavors or spices, herbs, and other ingredients used in making dishes such as Biryani, Pulao, and more.

So, this is yet another rice variety you should be stocking.

Jasmine Rice

Jasmine rice derived its name from the jasmine flower found in Thailand. Its fragrance resembles jasmine flowers and hence the jasmine rice. As it is fragrant, people often confuse it with basmati rice. This rice grain is native to the regions of the Himalayas and Pakistan.

This rice is great to accompany any chicken or fish recipe. You can also fry it with various vegetables to make a hearty meal.

Sushi Rice

Rice works as a great base for many recipes. Sushi rice, also called Pearl rice or Japanese rice, is short-grain white rice used primarily in the Sushi dish. Unlike other rice varieties, it has a sticky, chewy texture that holds things together. That’s why this rice variety is used in sushi.

Besides rice, you also need salt and sugar to make sushi. And for a rich sweet flavor, you can consider adding Japanese rice vinegar to it.

Arborio Rice

When you hear the name “Arborio rice,” what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Risotto! Arborio rice is short-grain rice with high starch content known as — Amylopectin. The rice grain derived its name from the Italian town of Arborio, located in the Po Valley.

When you cook it, the short, rounded rice grains become firm and make a creamy and chewy texture. It blends well with other flavors.

When you cook this rice, make sure you do not wash it thoroughly because it will remove its starch content. As a result, your risotto will not be as perfect as you want.

As far as cooking risotto is concerned, it is easier than you think! Take any broth or stock you have, add available vegetables and Arborio rice!

Combine them all and cook until the rice becomes creamy. Top it with Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano) cheese, and you’re ready to enjoy a comforting meal!

Black Rice

It's a whole grain which means its hulls are not removed during milling. Thus, black rice gets a chewy texture and takes longer to cook, just like brown rice. Hull contains high levels of anthocyanins (a pigment found in berries) that turn the plants blue, red, purple, or black.

The black rice looks blue-black or true black in its raw form. But once it is cooked, it turns into a deep purple color.

Black rice is also used as an umbrella term for different varieties of rice that feature glutinous and non-glutinous strains. Glutinous or “sweet” black rice is used in puddings, desserts, or topped with condensed milk.

As far as its usage is concerned, you can use the non-glutinous variety of black rice to give your rice salad a chewy texture. You can also make a traditional Thai dessert using black rice with mango.

Northern Wild Rice

Wild rice refers to the seeds from aquatic grass. In reality, it isn’t rice, but its cooking process and way of eating are similar. As far as texture is concerned, wild rice is long, skinny, and dark in color. It goes well with salads and stuffing. Unfortunately, this variety of rice also takes a long cooking time.

Wild rice is native to North America’s Great Lake region. The rice features a black outer hull and earthy flavor.

Conclusion

We all know how it’s essential to keep breakfast, lunch, and dinner healthy throughout the week. We have shared all the rice varieties you should be stockpiling for a hearty, healthy meal. Let us know about your favorite rice variety in the comment section.