One of the great things about my life is buying random items from the supermarket. I don’t know what many of them are. Mrs. Stevo is no help in identifying the array of vegetables I ask about:
Stevo: What’s this?
Mrs. Stevo: Greens.
Stevo: What’s that?
Mrs. Stevo: Greens.
I don’t think she has faith in my linguistic abilities, hence, all leafy vegetables are called simply “greens.”
There is only so much white rice one man can eat before insanity comes knocking on his door. I didn’t like rice while growing up. I’d eat it, with a pat or two of butter on top. I distrusted soy sauce, the color and smell gave me the willies. Overall, Chinese food scared me. It was strange and covered in colorful goop. Funny how times change…
While in the supermarket bulk food section I spotted the above rice. It’s red. That color, good luck in China, gave me reason to pause (and I like red Ravine). What the hell, I thought. I’m trying to eat healthy, and that rice, unpolished and bran intact, looked extremely health. I took some home.
Cooking the unknown grain was a challenge. I put it in the rice cooker and after the cooking cycle it was still hard as a the proverbial rock. I added more water and tried again.
And again.
And yet again. A burnt, semi-soggy mess was my result.
After some internet research (I should have emailed Madame Donna) I discovered red rice is old school rice, a rice cooker will not do the job. This rice needs to be boiled in a lot of water and then drained. A pre-soak in warm water will help cut the cooking time.
The flavor is interesting: Slightly nutty, with a soft, chewy texture. The red bran has lots of fiber. That’s a sad commentary on my creep towards middle age: I actually think about the fiber content of food.
I have no idea of this rice’s origin. The label said only: hong mi (hong=red, mi=rice). My Chinese co-workers didn’t know of this delicacy. From my research I have learned it could be Bhutanese red rice, or Red Cargo rice from Thailand. It’s a mystery and doesn’t really matter: I don’t need to have a label on everything.
This random purchase worked out well. The red rice is a nice change and adds a little jazz to the plate. I’m sure when Mrs. Stevo returns she will hate it. Rice is white, she will say, case closed.
aside: One of my first attempts at macro food-type photography.
Wow, red rice. I’ve never seen or heard of it before. I’ll have to look out for some. Oddly, I eat less rice here in Taiwan than I have anywhere else – I used to eat it daily in Australia (I love rice) but for some reason, I only eat it once or twice a week now.
The photo is a good start for macro food. It could use a stop or so more exposure to bring the background to white.
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Craig: Next time, I’ll open it up a little, as per your suggestion. In the meantime I did re-adjust the levels to make it whiter. I’ve become too dependent on TTL. Shooting in manual with off-camera flash, exposure-wise, is something I need to work on.
A good rule of thumb to remember is that the aperture controls the flash lighting and the shutter speed controls the ambient.
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I’ll have to try and find some. It’s also full of B vitamins and calcium.
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Craig: Thanks for the tip.
Shawn: I’m interested if it is available in North America.
Thanks for the nod in my direction. I’m looking at your photo and from here it doesn’t look like Bhutanese rice (which has a shorter grain) and couldn’t be from your description. If it were, it would have cooked in 40-45 minutes.
It also doesn’t look like any japonica rice that I’ve seen. Any American red rice is colored with achiote so I am certain it isn’t an American variety. Red cargo rice would also cook rather quickly with a ratio of 1:2 so I don’t think that’s it either. What I think it is, is Himalayan red rice. Unless it’s a new variety they are serving in France now: Camargue, which is “short grained and sticky,” but I also don’t think that’s what you have there. I’m voting for Himalayan.
What did you serve with it? That’s the important question!
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Forgot to add that this rice, if it is what I think it is, benefits from soaking in water for approximately 30 minutes prior to cooking. You will get a better “tooth” feel from it and a softer texture that is quite pleasing.
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I’m in So. California. I happen to have an empty ;( bag of red rice on my kitchen counter. The bag says “Fresh from the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. Grown at 8,000 feet, irrigated with pure glacier water, packaged in handmade paper bags.” Alrighty then. Ours had a much shorter grain. The ratio is 1 1/2 c water to 1 C rice. Cook for 20 mins. Ours went in the rice cooker. Delicious. I think we got our bag as a gift. So, I’m not sure if it’s available here or not. I’ll have to look.
I’ve never seen red rice before. I’ll have to look for it. I currently have a couple of varieties of brown and white rices in my pantry, along with a black rice (“forbidden rice”) that is more purple than black in my opinion.
Nice job on the macro food-type shot. I find food one of the most difficult subjects to photograph and get right.
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I would love to try red rice someday! I always pass it in the grocery aisle, rubbernecking as I pass and wishing one day I would have the courage to grab a bag and just try it!.
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Cool. Maybe rice is like beans and comes in different sizes and colors. I love white rice, btw, and so do my daughters. And soy sauce. We’d be in heaven in China. Well, except for the fish lungs.
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Donna: Thanks. I wondered if it was the new French variety. I had never heard of Himalayan red rice. Thanks for the education. I will approach my rice cooking with new gusto. And, it was served with Chicken and black beans.
Robin: Forbidden rice sounds interesting. Is that like Lambada, the forbidden dance? Yes, food is hard to shoot.
Lola: Do it. Random buys are an adventure.
yb: I’m certain fish lungs are very healthy, as is everything in China. I have gotten over my distrust of soy sauce, and actually like rice. Sometimes, you need variety.
The post reminds me another expat blog I read from time to time, “Rice Again”. I love the title.
I pretty much eat whatever Lily puts in front of me and like your Mrs., she’ll just say rice is rice. White.
EG: It’s good to know all Chinese women have a similar view of rice. hehe.
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I’ve eaten red rice a few times. It tastes good, and apparently it’s very nutritious too.
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Erica: Fiber is good for you!
Stevo,
Enjoyed the article and comments. I just bought red rice (just like in your picture) here in Boulder Colorado USA last night. At the Asian Seafood Market (local asian-run store – plenty of authentic ingredients). The way it appears, it’s shape is halfway between rice and our “wild rice” (which is a grass seed that comes out of Minnesota, I understand; it’s dark dark brown and long/tubular). Taste was as you describe. I always do rice on the stovetop. Here at 5300 feet (about 170-1800 metres), I boil jasmine rice for 18 minutes. The red was edible at 20, but it benefited from an extra 7 or so. Nice and toothy, slightly nutty, but more “earthy” I’d say. And it didn’t absorb as much water as white/jasmine, but I like the texture. -Mitch
Mitch: Thanks for your comment. I’m buying some more red rice tomorrow. I’m glad you a) successfully cooked it; b) enjoyed it. I’m happy my description was apt.
dang! i just bought a big bag of red cargo rice today at an indian market in glendale (i live in los angeles). i have gotten the same (i think) red rice in a thai market in my neighborhood. it’s great. i cook mine in a rice cooker. no problems, but i have a new one with fuzzy logic that makes great rice every time with all types and there are no settings to adjust. pre-soaking should help make it even softer, but i like brown rice already, so i don’t bother. i grew up in the midwest, where the only rice was instant or rice-a-roni. i always thoguht i hated rice, but now that i can get some with flavor (and not artificial flavor) i love it. red cargo is one of the best. smells really nutty when you cook it and has a great flavor.
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Try mixing some (not too much, perhaps like 1/20th) barley with the white rice and boil it in the rice cooker; it also adds a little extra flavor and bite to the rice, but it’s still easy to cook.
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We love red rice and have found it occasionally in the US. I boil the heck out of it and about 35 minutes later, it comes out lovely. It’s really really good with artichokes and other creamy vegetables.
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