Short-grain rice. ch1310 / pixabay.com / 2015 / CC0 1.0
Short-grain rice is a generic term for rices that are so short in length that they are almost round.
They absorb a lot of liquid and release a lot of starch, making them ideal for recipes where you want a creamy mixture, such as risotto or rice pudding. The rice will stick together to make a good base, such as in sushi, or in rice salads so that other ingredients don’t just fall right through them.
Their stickiness also makes them easier to pick up with chopsticks.
Short-grain rice, cooked. © Denzil Green / 2016
Types of short-grain rice
Bhutanese Red Rice
Bhutanese Red Rice is a short grain, rosy-pink coloured rice with a nutty flavour.
It was traditionally grown in Bhutan, a country in the Himalayas, but is now also being grown in France.
Production has been increased in Bhutan using mechanical...
Black Forbidden Rice
Black forbidden rice® is a short grain rice.
The husk is grey outside; the inside grain is white. The rice appears to be black owing to high amounts of melanin in the bran. It turns purple when cooked by boiling (steaming retains the colour better.)
The ...
Camargue Red Rice
Camargue Red Rice is a browny-maroon coloured, short grain rice with an earthy, nutty flavour.
It is grown in southern France in marshland on the coast between Marseille and Montpelier
It is grown by the Griotto family. Since 2005, it has been...
Pudding Rice
Pudding Rice is a generic term for short grain, plump roundish rice that becomes soft, creamy and sticky when cooked.
The rice grains will be shorter than risotto rices, and be able to absorb a lot of liquid.
Pudding Rice is more popular with...