Know Your Food: Glutinous Rice

Glutinous Rice, aka sticky rice or sweet rice, is a type of short grained rice that is particularly sticky when cooked. Contrary to its name, glutinous rice does not contain gluten, but is instead referring to the glue-like stickiness that it attains when cooked. Just as regular rice comes white or brown, glutinous rice can be milled (white) or unmilled (purplish black).

Glutinous rice is a popular form of rice all over Asia, and your chances of finding it at the grocery store probably depend on the communities you live near ( for example, I live in a San Diego Naval community, so we get a lot of Filipino foods in our grocery stores). You could eat it with dishes like regular rice, but it really works best in sweet dishes.


A Couple of Recipes For If You Find It:
Champorado, A Filipino Breakfast Dish

Champorado is kind of like a chocolate oatmeal eaten commonly in the Philippines for breakfast by young and old alike. Traditionally champorado is eaten with a salty dried fish called tuyo or other smoked meats, but I prefer to eat it with some peanut butter and shredded coconut. It is a nice warm way to start the day, and is slightly more nutritious than having cereal.

Ingredients:
*1 cup glutinous rice
*1 14 oz can coconut milk
*4-5 chocolate tablea (a Filipinio chocolate tablet. Can use 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa + 1/8 tsp vanilla extract as substitute, or 1 Mexican tablea like Abuelita or Ibarra can be used), crushed
*Sweetened condensed, evaporated, or regular milk (optional)
*brown sugar to taste

1. Soak rice for 1/2 - 1 hour, then drain (Note: you don't have to soak the rice if you forgot to, but remember that you may need to add more liquid and it will take longer to cook)
   
2. Add rice, coconut milk, sugar, and chocolate into small saucepan, bring to simmer
3. After it is simmering, turn to low and stir occasionally until rice is soft. Add water or more coconut milk as needed until rice is cooked through and a semi-thick oatmeal-like consistency is reached.
4. Ass more sugar if needed (remember: if you add a milk after it will sweeten the dish)
5. Place in bowl, add milk to the champorado (optional), and enjoy!
   
6. This recipe makes about 3-4 meals
   

A second simple dish is:

Thai Dessert Rice

This is an incredibly easy dessert to make, and is a perfect accompaniment to thai or other SE Asian meals, as it can balance out a spicy meal without being too cloyingly sweet. Traditionally this dish is served with mangoes, but if they aren't in season you can trade the fruit out for something tropical and sweet, like papayas, pineapple, guavas, or even fruits like peaches or bananas if you so desire.

Ingredients:
*1 cup glutinous rice
*1 3/4 cups water
*1 -2 ripe, sliced mangoes (look for fragrant, easily bruised fruits)
*1/4 cup + 1 tbsp brown sugar
*1 can coconut milk
*1 tsp vanilla extract
*2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water

1. Soak the sweet rice in a covered pot for 20 min - 1 hour
2. Add the rest of your water and 1/4 of your can of coconut milk to the pot, along with a dash of salt and 1 tbsp of your brown sugar.
3. Stir well then bring to a gentle boil. Partially covering the pot (leave some room for steam to escape), turn the heat to medium-low and let simmer.
4. After the liquid has been absorbed by the rice (approx 20 minutes), remove the pot from the heat and fully cover with lid, allowing to "steam" cook for 5-10 minutes.

1. Now you are going to make a sauce for your rice in a separate, smaller pot.
2. Warm the rest of your can of coconut milk, your brown sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
   
3. Add your dissolved cornstarch to the sauce and stir til it has thickened slightly. Turn heat down to low until it has thickened, then remove from heat (Note: keep sauce from boiling, otherwise you will lose the flavor from the coconut)

To serve, place the sticky rice in bowls, then ladle a generous amount of your warm coconut sauce over the rice, creating a sticky rice "island". Add your slices of mango or other fruit and enjoy!