Text 2183, 111 rader
Skriven 2010-09-29 21:19:00 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Lee Lofaso
Ärende: RICE  00929
===================
 -=> Quoting Lee Lofaso to Glen Jamieson <=-

Hello Lee

 >GJ>Hmmm.  As far as I know rice, like wheat, is always allowed to
 >GJ>dry in the rice-fields before harvesting.  Then it is husked
 >GJ>and goes straight into the rice mill for polishing, then
 >JW>out while on the stalk. Wheat harvested in cool climates sometimes
 >JW>has to be harvested early to avoid frost and requires additional
 >JW>drying after harvesting to get the moisture level down to a level
 >JW>where it will be preserved without molding. Rice, I don't know.
 
 GJ>How is it dried?  Is it dried before, or after threshing?

 LL> A light green color means the grain was harvested prematurely.
 LL> There are many different ways of drying rice.  One way is to simply
 LL> let the grain dry out in the sun.  But that takes time.  And the hope
 LL> that it does not rain.

That is the cheapest way, saving energy and fuel.
 
 >JW>But I do now that freshly harvested rice is moister than aged rice.
 >JW>Rice is harvested in the fall and the grains gradually lose their
 >JW>moisture during the course of the year, so they are their driest at
 >JW>the end of the next summer. When cooking rice, the Japanese use a
 >JW>water-to-raw-rice ratio of 1:1 in the fall, 1.25:1 in the winter and
 >JW>1.5:1 the following summer.

That sounds like an excessive difference.  In fact, if you think about
it, the rice:water ratio is not fixed, but is variable, dependent on
the amount of rice in the saucepan or rice cooker.  When boiling rice,
the first "high boil" period boils off a fixed amount of water,
regardless of whether there are 2 or 5 cups of rice in the cooker.
The rice then absorbs its required amount of water from the remainder.
Of course, as brown rice absorbs water at a lower rate than white
rice, it will need extra water for the "boiling" phase of cooking.

 GJ>My Australian rice comes in sealed plastic bags, so has uniform
 GJ>dryness throughout the year.  In the Philippines it comes in woven
 GJ>bags of 25 kg, but the ratio of rice to water when cooking is not
 GJ>changed.  Rice is grown continuously, as there is no significant
 GJ>climate change.  In fertile tropical areas 3 crops of rice per year
 GJ>can be grown.

 LL> As long as a bag of rice is kept in a cool, dark place, raised up from
 LL> the floor, it should keep well.  Sacks up to 25 to 50 pounds are good.

Agreed.  My relatives in Manila buy rice that way, and keep it in a
bin with a tightly closed lid to keep out cockroaches or other pests.

 LL> The ratio of water to rice varies depending on many different factors.
 LL> Not just the size of the grain, but also the type of rice, and how
 LL> that rice is intended to be served.  Not to mention the cooking
 LL> method. 

There are many varieties of rice, for different purposes.

 >JW>In my cold arid climate my rice (and flour) really dries out in the
 >JW>winter (I go as high as 1.75:1) and re-absorbs some moisture in the
 >JW>summer (and I back off to 1.5:1 again.)
 GJ>Wouldn't it be easier to keep your rice in a sealed container, so that
 GJ>you don't have to consult your calendar and hygrometer before cooking?
 LL> That may be a good idea in areas such as Louisiana, which has a hot
 LL> and humid climate, but might not be necessary or desired everywhere.

It gets quite hot and humid in Darwin and Manila, but where rice is a
staple part of the diet, the rate of consumption ensures that there is
little change in moisture content between starting to use the bag of
rice, and the finish.  No one there (or here) would ever use only one
cup of rice at a time.  After washing, the rice in the cooker or
saucepan is covered with water up to one finger joint depth above the
surface of the rice.  The relative quantities of rice and water are
rarely measured.  When cooking brown rice I put in a bit extra water,
as it takes about twice as long to cook.
 
 >JW>In Japan new fall rice is highly esteemed. It is called Shinmai and
 >JW>is said to be soft, smell wonderful and have a hint of sweetness
 >JW>after you cook it. I've never had the opportunity to taste it; it
 >JW>is never exported.
 
One of the many varieties...

 GJ>A Japanese parliamentarian speaking in support of the expensive,
 GJ>subsidised local rice farming once claimed that Japanese stomachs were
 GJ>genetically attuned to only digest Japanese rice, and any imported
 GJ>rice would make them sick.  Since then, Japanese style rice has been
 GJ>grown in Australia for export to Japan.  It can also be bought here,
 GJ>mainly for use by Japanese sushi restaurants.

 LL> If only the Japanese people knew the truth.  Filipinos had no
 LL> problem eating Louisiana rice in the Philippines, even after learning
 LL> rice from Louisiana had been being imported into the Philippines for
 LL> decades.  If you'll note, rice grown in the Philippines and rice grown
 LL> in Louisiana is virtually identical.  However, rice grown in China is
 LL> very different, being much larger, about the size of red beans. Which
 LL> explains why Chinese are so adept at using chopsticks...

The main varieties grown in the Philippines are the standard short or
medium grain, sticky rice (malagkit) and sometimes a long grain, or
even a semi-polished "red" rice.  In Australia, the same, plus brown
medium or long grain, basmati, rigatoni, jasmin, and other imported
rices.  As Carol knows, the medium grain rice, cooked by the
absorption method, "glugs" together so that it can be readily picked
up with chopsticks.  Long grain rice is more difficult.

I haven't seen any Chinese rice with the large grains you describe,
but I have only eaten rice in Hong Kong, not on the mainland.
___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR]

--- FLAME v2.0/b
 * Origin: Braintap BBS Adelaide Australia (3:800/449)