Cooked rice

Cooked rice is used as a base for various fried rice dishes (e.g. Chinese fried rice, Thai fried rice), rice bowls/plates (e.g. bibimbap, chazuke, curry rice, dal bhat, donburi, loco moco, panta bhat, rice and beans, rice and gravy), rice porridges (e.g. congee, juk), rice balls/rolls (e.g. gimbap, onigiri, sushi, zongzi), as well as rice cakes and desserts (e.g. mochi, tteok, yaksik).

Rice is a staple food in not only Asia and Latin America, but across the globe, and is the most consumed foodstuff in the world. The U.S. Department of Agriculture classifies rice as part of the grains food group. Nutritionally, 200 g of cooked steamed white rice contributes 60 g (2 oz) toward the daily recommended 170 and 200 g (6 and 7 oz) of grains for women and men, respectively, and is considered a good source of micronutrients such as zinc and manganese.

Preparation

Rice is often rinsed and soaked before being cooked. Unpolished brown rice requires longer soaking time than milled white rice does. The amount of water added can vary depending on many factors. Newly harvested rice usually requires less water, and softer varieties need more water than firmer varieties.

Rice can be boiled in a heavy-bottomed cookware or steamed in a food steamer. Some boiling methods do not require precise water measurements, as the rice is strained after boiling. This draining method is suitable for the less glutinous varieties such as basmati rice, but not suitable for varieties like japonica rice which become sticky to some degree when cooked. Optionally, a small amount of salt can be added before cooking. If not drained, boiled rice is usually cooked on high heat until a rolling boil, then simmered with the lid on, and steamed using the residual heat after turning off the heat source. Nowadays, electric rice cookers are also commonly used to cook rice. During cooking, rice absorbs water and increases in volume and mass.