Western Style Rice in Thailand

[tweezer]

Hi!

Just curious, can you make western style rice with normal Thai rice? I mean rice that after cooked stays basically loose and a little firm, as opposed to the common soft and kind of stuck together Thai cooked rice. I'm thinking of the old Uncle Ben's type back in the US.

Can you cook Thai rice like this? How would the cooking method differ from the normal Thai way?

If not, is there a type of rice available here that you can get and make?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Cheers,

T

[tormok]

I think you are looking for parboiled rice http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parboiled_rice

According to the Wikipedia article it is produced here in thailand, so should be available.

[mikebell]

What makes Thai rice sticky & clump together is starch. Wash thoroughly; flushing starch away. Boil/steam; plunge into cold (clean) water which should separate grains. Return to hot water/microwave.

[attrayant]

I always rinse the rice three times or until the water runs clear, and it's still sticky. Not that I want it to be unsticky, I think it should be sticky. There's probably some interesting history behind the formation of the western idea that rice ought not to be sticky (but I have no idea what it is). My Thai inlaws have told me that when they eat rice that doesn't clump together properly, they feel like they're eating "poor people's rice" and it makes them feel depressed.

Long grain rice has a lower starch content, and conventional wisdom says that extended soaking any kind of rice helps remove more starch although I can't find a definitive cite for this. I'd suggest perusing some cooking sites like allrecipies.com to see what's popular.

Would skillet rice (aka fried rice) satisfy your requirement? Best to use rice that's a few days old and has become dried out (leave it in the fridge uncovered to hasten this process). Then crumble it into an oiled skillet over medium heat and push it around with a flat-edged wooden spatula until it starts to lightly brown. When this happens, whatever is left of the starch undergoes the maillard reaction and it loses its stickiness. It undergoes a significant flavor change, too, depending on the type of fat/oil used and presence of other amino acids.

[lamplaimattlad]

Long Grain Rice is the way to go

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I've seen some Uncle Ben's rice packages at Villa Markets from time to time.

But if one just wants un-sticky rice, there's plenty of Indian basmati rice to be found around BKK -- though, different flavor from regular U.S. style rice.