Now, which Asian country has the tastiest rice, mates?

[Lewie London]

Right, let’s have a butchers then, which country in Asia is crackin’ out the best rice now, yeah?

 

I’ll tell ya Lewie’s straight-up take, it ain’t even a competition, mates. It's Japan. No contest. The rest of Asia’s chuckin’ out rice like it’s just white fluff to shovel curry on. Japan? Nah, mate, that’s artisan gear. Gourmet. You don’t eat it because you have to, you eat it ‘cause you want to. Sticky, shiny, like polished little pearls, none of this dry, flakey tosh you get down your local Thai slop-shop where you gotta drown it in some fishy black sauce just to trick yourself into thinkin’ it’s got flavour.

 

And don’t even get me started on that onigiri, yeah, them little rice balls you get in 7-Eleven over there in Jappers? Wrapped up neat in seaweed like a tidy little rice parcel of happiness. Chilled, soft and refreshing, but not too cold or hard. Bit of salted egg in the middle, maybe a touch of salmon, bosh. Lunch for a quid, tastes like something your nan would’ve made if your nan was married to a Samurai. Class act that, innit.

 

Thai rice? Love Thailand, but that stuff’s basically just edible packing material. Bit of sliced cucumber on the side, but more decorative than useful. Kind of like tits on a bull. That rice might as well be wallpaper paste, dressed up nice.

 

But Japan’s rice? Nah, different gravy, bruv. You don’t even need sauce. Bit of salt, job done. Proper posh simplicity. It’s like comparing a fine tailored suit to some Russian bloke’s fake Versace tracksuit. Both’ll cover you up, but one’s got style, the other smells like the cloakroom of a Moscow nightclub with the windows bricked in.

 

So yeah, Thailand can keep their tuk-tuk's, Japan can keep their rice. And I’ll keep flappin’ me gob about the pleasures of onigiri with a cold pint of Sapporo on the side. End of.

[spidermike007]

From my point of view there's no such thing as a tasty white rice, sure the Japanese are able to make it with more interesting texture, suitable for sushi and better than normal white rice, but if you want to talk about tasty rice you just have to start getting into the whole grain stuff.

 

The whole grain jasmine's, the red rices, and the black rices, now those are tasty. Thailand creates some absolutely beautiful versions of organic whole grain rice. 

 

 

[fredwiggy]

16 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

From my point of view there's no such thing as a tasty white rice, sure the Japanese are able to make it with more interesting texture, suitable for sushi and better than normal white rice, but if you want to talk about tasty rice you just have to start getting into the whole grain stuff.

 

The whole grain jasmine's, the red rices, and the black rices, now those are tasty. Thailand creates some absolutely beautiful versions of organic whole grain rice. 

 

 

True. I always ate brown rice in America, along with different types of white rice. The Japanese use Japonica, which is a little sticky and tastes a little bland, like Jasmine here. Jasmine smells good while cooking. Basmati has a better taste to me.As does Italian Arborio and black rice. It may sound funny but I also liked Minute Rice and Uncle Bens, par boiled rice with spray butter and black pepper.

[Watawattana]

Chinese rice.  It's all the extra "additives"...

[save the frogs]

Indians have basmati rice? maybe the best rice ... 

[fredwiggy]

2 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Indians have basmati rice? maybe the best rice ... 

Yep, from the Himalayas. 

[Keeps]

Basmati accompanied by a chicken dhansak, sag aloo and naan. 

[fredwiggy]

Malys Angkor is supposed to be really good, but yet to have tried it.

[baansgr]

Thailand...always has and always will. 

No1

[fredwiggy]

2 minutes ago, Keeps said:

Basmati accompanied by a chicken dhansak, sag aloo and naan. 

Don't think I've tried that but might have, as I did go to an Indian buffet in San Antonio which I really liked and miss. Yellow curry is a favorite, chicken tikka masala.

[Ralf001]

Rice is for peasants.

[fredwiggy]

2 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Rice is for peasants.

And also for those who want a tasty side dish that goes with many different meals. One that is a good fiber source and has magnesium, iron, phosphorus and selenium, as well as other vitamins and minerals. 

[Keeps]

Chicken tikka masala was supposedly invented in the UK in the 1960's. A few Indian restaurants had opened, I believe in London initially. The food they were mainly proposing was a bit spicy for the local taste so they ended up mixing tinned/canned condensed tomato soup with a curry to mellow it and the chicken tikka masala was the outcome. No doubt someone will be along to advise that is complete and utter tosh.

 

Won't touch it myself - nothing to do with curry snobbery. Just don't like the taste. Prefer a dhansak, Madras or Jalfrezi. They are all probably about as authentic as a tikka masala ( particularly the Madras).

 

 

[Harrisfan]

6 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Rice is for peasants.

Curry no rice doesnt work

[Keeps]

7 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Rice is for peasants.

That may be the case but you have just dissed about half the world's staple diet and beggars can't be choosers.

 

Well done that man 👏

[Keeps]

3 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Curry no rice doesnt work

If I've had a few beers first then would rather have a naan or roti otherwise the rice adds to the bloating.

 

If no prior beer involved then totally agree.

[Ralf001]

2 minutes ago, Keeps said:

That may be the case but you have just dissed about half the world's staple diet and beggars can't be choosers.

 

Well done that man 👏

Sucks to be them.

[fredwiggy]

9 minutes ago, Keeps said:

Chicken tikka masala was supposedly invented in the UK in the 1960's. A few Indian restaurants had opened, I believe in London initially. The food they were mainly proposing was a bit spicy for the local taste so they ended up mixing tinned/canned condensed tomato soup with a curry to mellow it and the chicken tikka masala was the outcome. No doubt someone will be along to advise that is complete and utter tosh.

 

Won't touch it myself - nothing to do with curry snobbery. Just don't like the taste. Prefer a dhansak, Madras or Jalfrezi. They are all probably about as authentic as a tikka masala ( particularly the Madras).

 

 

Didn't realize that. I did look so you'd have some weight and it was indeed invented in Scotland. When I move back to Texas, I'll ask about those other dishes, although I might have already tried them without knowing in that buffet.

[fredwiggy]

4 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Sucks to be them.

I guess seeing you're  a Trump worshiper, you follow his McDonalds, sweets and meat loaf diet. 

[hankypankee]

A bit of Thai sticky rice dipped in the spicy-sour juice from some Larb Gai. A bit of finely-chopped mint and cilantro mixed in. Pretty unbeatable. 

[Keeps]

3 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Didn't realize that. I did look so you'd have some weight and it was indeed invented in Scotland. When I move back to Texas, I'll ask about those other dishes, although I might have already tried them without knowing in that buffet.

The Sweaty's (Scots) try and claim everything that the English actually invented.

 

Next they'll be claiming John Logie Baird was Scottish.......

 

I would recommend a Dhansak if you can get your hands on one. Hot (ish), sweet and sour with lentils in a thick sauce and meat of choice.

[fredwiggy]

4 minutes ago, hankypankee said:

A bit of Thai sticky rice dipped in the spicy-sour juice from some Larb Gai. A bit of finely-chopped mint and cilantro mixed in. Pretty unbeatable. 

My girlfriend makes that for me occasionally. A favorite of mine.

[Harrisfan]

15 minutes ago, Keeps said:

If I've had a few beers first then would rather have a naan or roti otherwise the rice adds to the bloating.

 

If no prior beer involved then totally agree.

Rice and roti plus curry works for me. Rice soaks up the sauce 

[FlorC]

Tasty rice , isn't that an oxymoron ?

[Ralf001]

17 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I guess seeing you're  a Trump worshiper, you follow his McDonalds, sweets and meat loaf diet. 

Not a worshiper but I think he s a great leader for the USA.

 

Macca's... Sausage and egg McMuffin goes good on a Sunday morn with a hang over.

 

not into sweets or meat loaf (its a peasant food too).

[roo860]

The only way to eat rice. 😉

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, fredwiggy said:

True. I always ate brown rice in America, along with different types of white rice. The Japanese use Japonica, which is a little sticky and tastes a little bland, like Jasmine here. Jasmine smells good while cooking. Basmati has a better taste to me.As does Italian Arborio and black rice. It may sound funny but I also liked Minute Rice and Uncle Bens, par boiled rice with spray butter and black pepper.

Well white rice is kind of like a blank canvas, and it absorbs the flavors of everything around it so certainly you can make an argument that you can make white rice taste great with anything from soy sauce to butter to spices, curries and whatnot.

 

But I find that brown rice just has this wonderful rich flavor all on its own, which to me makes it pair with things even better with some foods. Grilled rotisserie chicken and brown rice, with some Sriracha sauce for instance, is amazing. 

[fredwiggy]

Just now, spidermike007 said:

Well white rice is kind of like a blank canvas, and it absorbs the flavors of everything around it so certainly you can make an argument that you can make white rice taste great with anything from soy sauce to butter to spices, curries and whatnot.

 

But I find that brown rice just has this wonderful rich flavor all on its own, which to me makes it pair with things even better with some foods. Grilled rotisserie chicken and brown rice, with some Sriracha sauce for instance, is amazing. 

I was thinking that all along, as there are a few rices that taste good plain, although many varieties, like pasta are a little bland by themselves. I used to eat brown rice plain with grilled fish a lot back home, as well as Basmati. 

[Stocky]

1 hour ago, save the frogs said:

Indians have basmati rice? maybe the best rice ... 

 

1 hour ago, fredwiggy said:

Yep, from the Himalayas. 

+1 for Basmati, the Basmati rice I buy on Lazada is from Pakistan - excellent rice

[fredwiggy]

1 minute ago, Stocky said:

 

+1 for Basmati, the Basmati rice I buy on Lazada is from Pakistan - excellent rice

Yes, that's the same general area, northwestern India and Pakistan.