TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Southeast Asian Rice Types
Khao Hom Mali Thung Kula Rong-Hai is jasmine rice also known worldwide as Thai Fragrant Rice or Thai Jasmin Rice, produced in a vast open area in the center of Northeast Thailand, in the provinces of Roi-et, Mahasarakam, Surin, Yasothon and Srisaket.
It comes in two varieties - brown or white rice. The rice is elongated, slim, glossy and transparent, with a floral scent of pandanus leaves. Its texture is smooth, and the rice hull is of a straw-like yellow color. After being cooked for 15 to 20 minutes, it tastes slightly sweet, delicate, velvety and spongy and the texture becomes smooth, sticky and creamy.
Rice paper is one of the main staples of Vietnamese cuisine, used for making appetizers by wrapping the ingredients in it. The wrapper is made from steamed rice batter that has been dried in the sun. When preparing dishes or appetizers using rice paper, it should be submerged in water for a few seconds until it softens, and then it can be filled with virtually anything, from cucumbers and tofu to Chinese sausages and omelets.
One of the most popular dishes that uses rice paper is the famous spring roll. The wrappers are quite low in calories and high in protein, although other ingredients such as coconut milk, chili, and sesame seeds can also be added in order to enhance their flavor.
Pinipig is immature glutinous rice that is pounded until it transforms into delicate flakes with a unique light green color, subtle flavor, and an unusual, delicate texture. Before consumption, the flakes are usually lightly toasted until crispy and light in color.
The toasted flakes are used in an array of Filipino dishes - they are often incorporated in traditional cookies, candies, and cakes, or used as a topping in creamy desserts such as halo-halo. Pinipig is also employed in Vietnamese cuisine, where it is known as cốm, and in Thailand, where it is more familiar as kao mow.
Nàng Thơm chợ Đào is a traditional rice variety originating from Vietnam's Mỹ Lệ commune in Cần Đước district, Long An province. Literally translated, the name means the virgin Thom of the Red Market, with the word Thơm presumably meaning scented in reference to the distinctive aroma of this rice variety.
It was first sold in the Red Market, hence the word Đào in its name. The rice grains are small and long, with a small pinkish kernel inside called hạt lựu, meaning pomegranate seed. After cooking, the rice also develops a slightly sweet flavor, which is why it's more prized and a bit more expensive than most other varieties.
Khao Sangyod Muang Phatthalung is an early lowland rice of the traditional Sangyod variety, produced in the province of Phatthalung in Thailand for more than a hundred years. The rice can be either paddy rice, brown rice or milled rice.
Paddy rice has hay-colored husks, brown rice is red to dark red and milled rice is a mix of white and red or pink colors. All of the varieties have a grain that is small and oblong while the brown variety is of the highest nutritional value. When cooked, it is soft and aromatic with a delicate taste.
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