6 Tasty Goodies Made of Rice

Rice. You know it, you’ve tasted it, and Asians can’t do without it. A gluten-free carb food that’s tender, fragrant and filling, with a soothing flavour that blends well with pretty much any dish in all your favourite cuisines. Rice has many more uses besides a meal-time staple. In fact, sticky rice mortar that combines sticky rice soup with slaked limestone, is what built the Great Wall of China, and is still used today as a restoration mortar for ancient masonry. There’s also rice glue made of well-cooked white rice simmered in water into a thick mush for woodworking and paper art – durable and toxin-free. But even within Asian cuisines, rice is the core ingredient for many food stuff too.

Rice-based noodles

Vermicelli, Pad Thai noodles, Vietnamese Pho noodles, Chinese He Fen, Cheung Fun and many other white-coloured Asian noodles, whether thick, thin or flat, are primarily made of rice flour or rice starch. Each type of rice noodle gets its distinctive shape and texture from the way it is processed, which can involve steaming, pressing, extruding. Typically starts with a dough or batter mixture of rice starch or rice flour and tapioca starch with water. The mixture is boiled or steamed-cooked, then rolled or pressed flat, and delicately cut or sliced into long strands – a traditional culinary art in Asian cultures. 

In the modern age, the rice noodles are commonly available in packed hard-dried form for easy storage and longer shelf life. Depending on the type, they can soften easily when soaked or cooked in warm or hot water. Their tender, silky textures and mild flavour are perfect to match with any flavour, including salads, soups, stir-fries, curries and more. Easy to cook and absolutely gluten-free. 

Pastries

Glutinous rice and rice flour are used in many traditional steamed pastries and desserts across Asian cuisines. They can be mixed with other simple flavouring and aromatic ingredients, delicately moulded into a great variety of shapes, sizes and colours. They are the core ingredient of Japanese Daifuku, Mochi and Dango, Chinese rice cakes and radish cakes, Malaysian Kuih-s, Korean Gyeong Dan, Songpyeon, Tteok, Thai crepes and many, many more. Savoury, sweet and umami, with a plethora of wondrous flavours and textures! Rice flour-based cakes can also be enjoyed as savoury everyday dishes, stir-fried with veggies, seafood and meat, or enjoyed in traditional festive soups.

Liquor

With expert fermentation and brewing methods, liquor can be made from rice. Japanese Sake is the prime example, with a specific rice-type grown to make it, generally called Shuzoutekimai. Korean Shoju and Makgeolli are similarly made from rice. Sake and Shoju are clear beverages with a pleasing sweet aftertaste, enjoyed hot and cold; while Makgeolli is milky with a slightly sweet, tangy and mild bitter flavour – savoured in a bowl, and yummy in cocktails.

Rice Milk

Blend cooked white or brown rice with lots of water, and voila, you have rice milk. Although very low in protein, thus unsuitable for infants, children and pregnant women, rice milk is a great carb source for vegans and people with lactose intolerant or allergies to other milks, soy and nuts. Also available commercially, plain and in flavours such as vanilla, and usually fortified with protein, calcium, iron and Vitamins B12 and D. You can also use it as a substitute for coconut milk in cooking and baking.

Rice Vinegar

Made from fermented rice, rice vinegar is a sweetener and condiment for Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese cuisines. Generally milder flavoured than Western vinegars, but each with their own distinct taste.

Chinese rice vinegars are the strongest flavoured, and has three types: Sweet and tangy white rice vinegar with a colourless to pale yellow range. Black vinegar made from black glutinous rice, dark with a deep, almost smoky flavour. Red rice vinegar made with red yeast rice, richly sweet and tangy.

Japanese rice vinegar is very mild and mellow, used to make sushi rice, pickled food and marinades to remove seafood and meat smells, as well as salad dressings. Korean rice vinegar is usually collected during the making of makgeolli, and used as a general seasoning. Vietnamese rice vinegar comes in a range of spicy and sour flavours.

Rice Paper

Not to be confused with paper materials for wrapping rice, we’re actually talking about Vietnamese rice paper. Thin dough-like translucent sheets made from white rice flour, tapioca powder, salt and water, it has a neutral flavour that’s perfect for spring rolls. Just dip briefly in warm water to soften for the wrap. Tender in fresh spring rolls, crispy when fried.