Medium-Grain Rice Medium-grain rice. Polina Tankilevitch / pexels.com / 2020 / CC0 1.0 Medium-grain rice is a generic term, describing rices that are thicker and shorter than long-grain rices. They have a higher starch content, cooking up a bit sticky and moist, which makes them ideal for dishes such as paellas and risottos. Related entries Jade Rice