I remember playing in the wheelbarrow-size, hand-constructed rice bin at the old Chinese restaurant my father took over from his father-in-law. As a child, I loved how the polished grains felt in my hands, shedding their fine dust on my small fingers as I stood on tiptoe to reach in and swirl the rice with my father bent next to me. As his powerful arms churned three types of rice together, working the new crop shipment into the remaining stock, my small arms attempted to do the same; I imagined I was helping him.
He explained to me that even though steamed white rice was a freebie accompaniment to the entrées we sold, details as small as grains of rice are important when you care about food. I took that in solemnly, and in typical childlike fashion, didn’t think about it again until I moved away for college. Living on my own, cooking cheap, conventional supermarket-brand long grain by itself, I realized how very flat rice could fall. Even when I switched to a nuttier brown variety, I missed the dimension of my father’s blend. Now, as an adult with my own home, I’ve created my own “house” blend as well.
However, I recently learned that this isn’t common practice. While some gourmet brands like Lundberg Family Farms sell blends such as itsCountrywildmix of black, red, and brown at a premium, those who know and love rice tend to use their favorites on their own. Traditionalist Naoko Takei Moore, author ofDonabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking,is generally one of those purists, particularly when it comes to her prized Koda Farms species or authentic Koshihikari imported from Ibaraki, Japan, which I also love.
Beyond taste, it can also be a matter of convenience and availability. Nandita Godbole, author ofmultiple Indian cookbooksunder herCurry Cravingsumbrella, shares that Indian households will typically cook one type at a time, usually a local rice.
But as Godbole points out, there are exceptions to this. “Rice varieties are prized based on their aroma, texture, and the size of their grains. By combining the best of each attribute, one can make a perfect mix.”
For example, she says, “Blending rice is how we can make a ‘statement’ item or particular dish likekheer,” a rice pudding with dried mulberries featured in her latest bookMasaleydaar.“Traditionally, [kheer] would be made with only one kind, but I prefer to mix coarse ground Sona Masoori for volume and body, and basmati for fragrance and visible texture.”
这些特征使之和大于它s parts, as the lightly fragrant, short-grain Sona Masoori “adds a level of fine tenderness.” She’ll also swap in softer, plumper, sticky Ponni rice—a variety typically used for idli and dosa batters—if she’s looking for creaminess.
And as old-school as she is, Takei Moore confesses she likes the gemmy pop of adding sticky rice to her short grain for “a little chewiness and the slightest hint of sweetness.”
She’ll also blend drier older rice, harvested the year before, with a new crop to balance out natural moisture levels. “There is no greater luxury than new crop rice—it is so shiny, so fresh…. But on its own can get a little bit mushy,” she laughs, “so if I want to make sushi rice, I actually do prefer blending old and new rice to make it perfect.” Because they’re technically the same type of rice, no special cooking or measuring is required.
混合也可以伸展你的股票。“大多数印度feasts include multiple courses and must include one or more dedicated rice dishes. Basmati can become expensive in larger quantities!” Godbole exclaims. To her, adding similarly long-grain jasmine to delicate basmati is “prudent kitchen economics” when cooking on a large scale. Even more budget-friendly is mixing generic American long grain with jasmine. And medium Calrose, much more accessible and affordable than even short Shirakiku, fills in the gaps well.
But a custom grain blend doesn’t need to be limited just to rice. “Mixing short grain with all kinds ofquinoais great,” recommends Takei Moore. “It has a finer grain, so it’s really nice, and it makes the flavor a little more complex.Pearl barleyhas a poppy texture. And there are nutritional benefits, too, so sometimes I add both!”
As the world universally sets greater store on healthful eating, these non-rice enhancements are gaining popularity. My octogenarian grandma has become a huge fan of a seed, legume, and rice medley she jokingly calls “bird food”; my father regularly adds rolled oats to hiscongeefor a thicker, heartier start to his day. I add brown rice to mine to restore bounce and lend texture to soupy rice porridge.
But blending rice and grains is something that should be done mindfully.
“You have to know the water-to-grain ratio, if they’re compatible,” says Takei Moore, as this determines the cooking time. “Yes, the cooking times and texture must match up,” echoes Godbole. For instance, “I would not cook whole Ponni and basmati together—it would not make a pretty dish and the textures would be all over the place!”
Jasmine, basmati, and other long-grain rice can disintegrate in a soggy mess if cooked in too much water, while brown rice can blow out. Short-grain rice needs a little longer than long, and all of the darker rice needs as much as twice the time as their lighter counterparts. This includes brown, black, red, and wild. And of course, all will dry out if left cooking too long, whether you use arice cookeras I do, stovetop pot, donabe, or a pressure cooker, as Godbole prefers.
Of course, there’s also flavor to consider, and ways to balance it. For example, brown rice can be nutty, it can be bitter at times. (A pinch of salt can help with that, though, advises Takei Moore.) The rich taste of purple rice, along with its color, will also permeate its companion grains. Glutinous rice will release sweetness into the rice water, which will be absorbed by the other grains. But use too little and it will lose its character.
So, how do you then make a perfect custom blend?
It’s actually very easy. Just choose types that have similar cooking times. An easy cheat is to pair grain lengths and rice color. This way you can use the same water measurements and timeframes for similar but not identical varieties, such as long-grain jasmine and basmati, as Godbole does. As a general rule, most long-grain white rice will cook in 20–25 minutes while short and medium grain can take up to 30. Sticky rice will take a few minutes longer—but not long enough to overcook the Japonica it’s best matched with.
Brown rice, long or medium, and black rice will take 40–45 minutes to absorb all the water it needs. Meanwhile, red will cook in a similar window as long-grain white, stretching out your store of this gourmet varietal. Wild rice takes the longest—40 minutes to an hour.
As for water quantities, Takei Moore has a trick. After soaking the rice for about 20 minutes—a Japanese practice to open up the fragrance of aromatic rice, prep brown rice for absorption, and ensure a more even cook for sushi rice—she matches the proportion of water to the proportion of rice or grain type individually.
For instance, for a cup of white rice, she’ll use just shy of a cup of water for old crop and exactly a cup for new crop. For brown rice, the ratio is a cup and a half of water for every cup of raw rice, and long grain falls right in between. Once that’s safely in the pot, she accounts for the wild card grain. For example, “If I’m mixing with quinoa, I measure the additional ¼ cup of quinoa with the corresponding 1-to-2 ratio (½ cup of water).”
However, the best tip she, Godbole, and my dad can offer is this: Play with your proportions and experiment. This can also help you refine your palate and taste the finer points of this excellent grain. After all, if you’re looking to make the just-right house blend…it’syourhouse, right? The rules are up to you.
