Things you may not know about Thai Hom Mali, the world’s best rice

[Anna Rak]

After my wife had lived in the U.K. for 5 years and all the brain regeneration I had done to remove the fact that Thailand is not the only country in the world that produces food I got her to try Basmati rice, and now in her 15th year she won't eat Thai rice she say's it's too sticky. 

I call that a WIN WIN!! Please don't get me wrong I like Thai food, but I.M.O. Thai rice is awful.

[moogradod]

35 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

But does it eat well with fish sauce when you have nothing else.

I don't know. I do not eat fish sauce if I don't need to (in some dishes it does not stand out as well).

But I have asked my wife and she said it does not match too well. So you have a valid point here for some. But I mostly eat Japanese Rice and my wife Jasmine Rice then.

 

One more advantage of Japanese Rice: It does stick together to a certain extend, making it easier to eat with chopsticks. With Basmati (maybe even paraboiled ????) this challenge would probably surpass the difficulties of the deployment of the Webb Telescope or you do it intentionally by picking grain for grain seperately if you are on a diet.

 

My favourite food is Sushi - try to make this with Basmati. Conclusion: Every variety for its purpose. But nevertheless Kokuho Rose is the tastiest rice I know.

 

 

[Rodjrin]

Basmati - Thai rice maybe a close second

[unblocktheplanet]

9 hours ago, RandiRona said:

Difficult to eat thai curry with pasta. ????

Not at all. We're big ricers but Thai curry gravy on pasta is awesome!

[Albert Zweistein]

11 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Basmati, Iranian and Surinam rice is as good or better

And Italian and grown with less pesticide compared to the Thai rice. 

[Pedrogaz]

I think Thai rice sucks. It has little or no body. I eat only Japanese rice, from Niigata if I can get it. 

[moogradod]

25 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

I think Thai rice sucks. It has little or no body. I eat only Japanese rice, from Niigata if I can get it. 

Bingo. One of the rare sensible posts about the subject. Listen to @Pedrogaz if you want to do yourself a favour.

 

We forgot to mention Risotto Rice as well, which is again a special kind. I have always used Aldo in the past. Of course it is not available here.....

[StayinThailand2much]

19 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

But does it eat well with fish sauce when you have nothing else.

Or the leaves from the bush outside?

[dddave]

On 12/30/2021 at 2:31 PM, Isaan sailor said:

My Isaan wife grows Hom Mali (Jasmine) rice, as well as sticky rice.  When it’s freshly milled, and then cooked—it really does have a delicate fragrance.  I should know—seem to get rice most every day in one form or another.  The fragrance wanes a few months after harvest.

I can always tell when my gf is cooking Hom Mali rice from the family farm as opposed to supermarket rice.  The fragrance of the farm fresh rice is distinctly aromatic; almost floral. 

[Artisi]

On 12/30/2021 at 10:26 AM, RandiRona said:

I heard Basmati is the best??

you're looking for a session of re-adjustment making comments as such ???? 

[GreasyFingers]

3 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Or the leaves from the bush outside?

Some posters did not understand the comment, but if they live in Bangkok why would they.

[moogradod]

58 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

Some posters did not understand the comment, but if they live in Bangkok why would they.

I live in Pattaya, but we have a family out in the sticks, too. Sometimes I eat rice only with Soy Sauce - but then - it should acutally go well with rat on the stick, too. Tastes a bit like chicken. And with all locally grown up vegis that we have on our land - or can find in the wild if you have nothing else - if this is what you meant.

 

Whatever - Happy New Year to all.

[herfiehandbag]

When in Rome...

 

I eat Hom Mali with Thai dishes, just had a lovely fish with onions and green bell peppers in a black pepper and garlic sauce ( sauce out of a packet). Hom Mali rice complemented it perfectly.

 

If I have an Indian Curry (chicken breasts cooked in a jar of imported sauce from Tops supermarket (Pataks or Jalfreezi are stocked due to their tie in with Waitrose) then it's Basmati rice.

[LosLobo]

On 12/30/2021 at 10:39 PM, moogradod said:

One more advantage of Japanese Rice: It does stick together to a certain extend, making it easier to eat with chopsticks. With Basmati (maybe even paraboiled ????) this challenge would probably surpass the difficulties of the deployment of the Webb Telescope or you do it intentionally by picking grain for grain seperately if you are on a diet.

Thais have overcome the problem of eating rice with chopsticks. 

 

They don't!

[Hawaiian]

On 12/30/2021 at 2:09 AM, moogradod said:

I don't know. I do not eat fish sauce if I don't need to (in some dishes it does not stand out as well).

But I have asked my wife and she said it does not match too well. So you have a valid point here for some. But I mostly eat Japanese Rice and my wife Jasmine Rice then.

 

One more advantage of Japanese Rice: It does stick together to a certain extend, making it easier to eat with chopsticks. With Basmati (maybe even paraboiled ????) this challenge would probably surpass the difficulties of the deployment of the Webb Telescope or you do it intentionally by picking grain for grain seperately if you are on a diet.

 

My favourite food is Sushi - try to make this with Basmati. Conclusion: Every variety for its purpose. But nevertheless Kokuho Rose is the tastiest rice I know.

 

 

Sushi is also one of my favorites.  I make good inari (stuffed in deep fried tofu pockets) and nori maki (rolled in dried seaweed sheets).  My favorite is tekka maki which has raw fish, preferably sashimi grade ahi, and wasabi in the center.  You are right about Kokuho, although the supermarkets here stock other brands which are just as good.

 

I only use long grain rice when cooking fried rice since it does not stick together.

[Big Bert]

Thai rice sends my blood sugar through the roof, I can get by the brown rice that tastes like card board.

[moogradod]

13 minutes ago, Big Bert said:

Thai rice sends my blood sugar through the roof, I can get by the brown rice that tastes like card board.

I think that is the problem with all kinds of rice, maybe a bit less with basmati or as you say, black or brown rice, but who wants to eat that. A generous portion of insulin does counteract that.

[Big Bert]

5 minutes ago, moogradod said:

I think that is the problem with all kinds of rice, maybe a bit less with basmati or as you say, black or brown rice, but who wants to eat that. A generous portion of insulin does counteract that.

I don't use insulin I'm T2. the brown rice is a lot more stable with a lower GI

[moogradod]

40 minutes ago, Hawaiian said:

Sushi is also one of my favorites.  I make good inari (stuffed in deep fried tofu pockets) and nori maki (rolled in dried seaweed sheets).  My favorite is tekka maki which has raw fish, preferably sashimi grade ahi, and wasabi in the center.  You are right about Kokuho, although the supermarkets here stock other brands which are just as good.

 

I only use long grain rice when cooking fried rice since it does not stick together.

Making (good) sushi by yourself is an art. Difficult. "Sushi" does actually refer to the rice mixture. Even to make this one alone is not easy. As a Sushi apprentice you will dedicate a year or more only to cook rice properly. Then comes the mixture - at Top- shops made even with a secret mixture of different rice vinegars.

 

I prefer nigiri sushi. What you refer to as "ahi" seems to be a more hawaiian term. In Japan, Tuna is generally called "Maguro" and then comes in 3 quality classes as "Akami", "Chutoro" and "Otoro". Real wasabi is hard to find - what you get here is not a pure wasabi root. The real thing is rare and expensive and I have not come across a Japanese Delikatessen Shop here, where you could hope to get some.

 

However, as you say, Japanese Rice is available in Villa, Tops and even in Big C Extra. Tops offers - to my delight - quite a number of other Japanese food as well.

 

The best sushi restaurant in Pattaya in my opinion is the "Ronin". They offer as well all three kinds of quality grades of Tuna, if not sold out and a vast variety of nigiri.

 

I agree with you about fried rice. Best made with longer grain, not sushi rice.

 

 

[moogradod]

29 minutes ago, Big Bert said:

I don't use insulin I'm T2. the brown rice is a lot more stable with a lower GI

Type 2 diabetes does not exclude the use of insulin if necessary. I am T2 myself and I use a lot of it. But it would need more to make me eat brown rice than health concerns (a Kalashnikov comes to mind). Unfortunately the tasty things in life are rarely healthy. ????

[Big Bert]

12 minutes ago, moogradod said:

Type 2 diabetes does not exclude the use of insulin if necessary. I am T2 myself and I use a lot of it. But it would need more to make me eat brown rice than health concerns (a Kalashnikov comes to mind). Unfortunately the tasty things in life are rarely healthy. ????

Im fine with metformin and lots of exercise. but yes for sure the tasty things are never the best.

[Hawaiian]

23 hours ago, moogradod said:

Making (good) sushi by yourself is an art. Difficult. "Sushi" does actually refer to the rice mixture. Even to make this one alone is not easy. As a Sushi apprentice you will dedicate a year or more only to cook rice properly. Then comes the mixture - at Top- shops made even with a secret mixture of different rice vinegars.

 

I prefer nigiri sushi. What you refer to as "ahi" seems to be a more hawaiian term. In Japan, Tuna is generally called "Maguro" and then comes in 3 quality classes as "Akami", "Chutoro" and "Otoro". Real wasabi is hard to find - what you get here is not a pure wasabi root. The real thing is rare and expensive and I have not come across a Japanese Delikatessen Shop here, where you could hope to get some.

 

However, as you say, Japanese Rice is available in Villa, Tops and even in Big C Extra. Tops offers - to my delight - quite a number of other Japanese food as well.

 

The best sushi restaurant in Pattaya in my opinion is the "Ronin". They offer as well all three kinds of quality grades of Tuna, if not sold out and a vast variety of nigiri.

 

I agree with you about fried rice. Best made with longer grain, not sushi rice.

 

 

  I grew up eating the many ethnic foods available here in Hawaii, including the local versions of nori

maki and inari sushi.   The first time I ate tekka maki  and onigiri sushi was in Japan.  I am far from a being a sushi chef, but make passable sushi. 

Prepared wasabi in plastic squeeze tubes imported from Japan is readily available.  In the past everyone in Hawaii used karashi (yellow mustard, the kind served with oden and gyoza).  There are a few people here that grow wasabi which does best grown next to cold, clear spring water.

Yellowfin tuna in Hawaii is called ahi.  The Japanese call big eye tuna maguro and tend to use the term for tuna.

[Joe Farang]

On 12/30/2021 at 11:01 AM, moogradod said:

Reading some posts here I urgently feel the need to hurry to your gustatory rescue: Not Jasmine Rice, nor Basmati Rice will ever be a match for Japanese Short Grain and you should really try that.

 

And here is (although grown in California) the best I ever had. It is a short-medium grain variety and delicious just by itself as can be. It is not available in any Thai store I know otherwise I would not eat anything else:

 

 

But as a substitute, you could try imported Japanese Rice as I do. Yes, it is expensive but judge yourself if it is worth the money or not.

You can always trust the Yanks to come along with "Merika does it better"

[dinsdale]

Very good rice. Makes the Chinese here rich and the Thai farmer poor.

[moogradod]

5 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Very good rice. Makes the Chinese here rich and the Thai farmer poor.

So lets make 2 x Som Tam per week mandatory for expats. Makes Thai vendors a bit richer and my stomach more miserable. .....and by the way, why should rice available only in the US and in other places abroad (I had the Kokuho in Switzerland) make Chinese here richer ?

[dinsdale]

11 hours ago, moogradod said:

So lets make 2 x Som Tam per week mandatory for expats. Makes Thai vendors a bit richer and my stomach more miserable. .....and by the way, why should rice available only in the US and in other places abroad (I had the Kokuho in Switzerland) make Chinese here richer ?

Because of fixed prices by the govt that's what the rice millers buy it for. Rice prices go down, millers buy at that rate from the farmers. Rice prices at retail don't go down. Rice milling companies are owned by Chinese or Thai Chinese.

[moogradod]

8 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Because of fixed prices by the govt that's what the rice millers buy it for. Rice prices go down, millers buy at that rate from the farmers. Rice prices at retail don't go down. Rice milling companies are owned by Chinese or Thai Chinese.

That would be the opposite of subsidisation for the farmers. These Chinese or Thai Chinese owners probably have strong connections to the government but this seems to be a prevalent scheme present in many areas where a lot of money is involved.

[crouchpeter]

On 12/30/2021 at 10:26 AM, RandiRona said:

I heard Basmati is the best??

True. Thai jasmine rice has a very high glycaemic index. It's like eating a plate of sugar.