Glutinous rice
Glutinous rice is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast Asia and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains and very low amylose content and is especially sticky when cooked. It is widely consumed across Asia.
It is called glutinous in the sense of being glue-like or sticky, and not in the sense of containing gluten. While often called sticky rice, it differs from non-glutinous strains of japonica rice, which also becomes sticky to some degree when cooked. There are numerous cultivars of glutinous rice, which include japonica, indica and tropical japonica strains.
History
The origin of glutinous rice is difficult to ascertain because of its long-standing cultural importance across a wide geographical region in Asia.A 2002 genetic study discovered that the waxy mutation that disrupted amylose synthesis likely has a single origin. This is supported by the fact that all glutinous rice accessions in the study contain the same mutation. From comparisons of subsequent mutations in the different accessions in the study, it was found that the progenitor haplotype is highest among Southeast Asian glutinous rice cultivars, indicating strongly that the waxy mutation first arose in Southeast Asia, likely in the upland regions of Mainland Southeast Asia, before spreading to the rest of Asia.
The waxy mutation is also known to have first arisen in temperate japonica rice, where it is far more common, before spreading to tropical japonica rice and indica cultivars via gene flow.
Cultivation
Glutinous rice is cultivated in countries across Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Asia, including Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Northeast India, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. In Laos, it is estimated that 85% of the rice produced is glutinous rice.As of 2013, the International Rice Genebank has preserved approximately 6,530 varieties of glutinous rice from five continents—Asia, South America, North America, Europe, and Africa. The International Rice Research Institute has referred to Laos as a "collector's paradise" for its remarkable diversity of glutinous rice. IRRI-trained collectors have gathered over 13,500 samples and 3,200 distinct varieties from Laos alone, making it home to the largest known biodiversity of sticky rice in the world.
Composition
Glutinous rice is distinguished from other types of rice by having no amylose and high amounts of amylopectin. Amylopectin is responsible for the sticky quality of glutinous rice. The difference has been traced to a single mutation that farmers selected.Like all types of rice, glutinous rice does not contain dietary gluten and should be safe for gluten-free diets.
Glutinous rice can be consumed milled or unmilled. Milled glutinous rice is white and fully opaque, whereas the bran can give unmilled glutinous rice a purple or black colour. Black and purple glutinous rice are distinct strains of white glutinous rice. In developing Asia, there is little regulation, and some governments have issued advisories about toxic dyes being added to colour-adulterated rice. Both black and white glutinous rice can be cooked as discrete grains or ground into flour and cooked as a paste or gel.
Use in foods
Glutinous rice is used in a wide variety of traditional dishes in different countries. They include the following:Bangladesh
Especially in the eastern regions of Bangladesh, glutinous rice is known as binni chal or binni sôil in Chittagong, both meaning "husked sticky rice" in Bangla. Both white and pink varieties are cultivated at many homestead farms. Unhusked sticky rice is called binni dhan. Boiled or steamed binni chal is referred to as binni bhat. Served with a curry of fish or meat, binni bhat is a popular breakfast. Sometimes, it is eaten simply with a splash of date palm sugar or jaggery, salt, and shredded coconut. Binni dhan is also used to make khoi and chida.Many other sweet items, or types of pitha, made with binni chal are also popular in the region.
One such pitha is atikka pitha. It is made with a mixture of cubed or thinly sliced coconut, white or brown sugar, ripe bananas, milk, and binni chal, all wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. A similar dessert is enjoyed throughout Southeast Asia, where it is known as khao tom mat in Thai, num ansom in Khmer, lepet in Indonesian, suman in Filipino, bánh tét and bánh chưng in Vietnamese, and khao tom in Lao.
Another sweet dish is binni chaler patishapta pitha, a rolled rice crepe made using coarsely ground, hydrated glutinous rice flour. The rice flour is spread in a thin circular layer over a hot pan and filled with a mixture of grated coconut, palm sugar, and occasionally milk powder, then rolled into shape.
A kind of rice porridge made from binni chal is known as modhu bhat, which literally means "honey rice". It is prepared by cooking binni chal in water for a prolonged period until soft, slightly blending it for a creamy consistency, and then topping it with shredded coconut. Sweeteners such as date palm sugar and honey are also added. Modhu bhat is a well-known traditional delicacy of the Chittagong area, often consumed during cooler months or as part of rural celebrations.
Cambodia
Glutinous rice is known as bay damnaeb in Khmer.In Cambodian cuisine, glutinous rice is primarily used for desserts and is an essential ingredient for most sweet dishes, such as ansom chek, kralan, and num ple aiy.
China
In Chinese, glutinous rice is known as nuòmǐ or chu̍t-bí in Hokkien.Glutinous rice is also often ground to make glutinous rice flour. This flour is made into niangao and sweet-filled dumplings called tangyuan, both of which are commonly eaten at Chinese New Year. It is also used as a thickener and for baking.
Glutinous rice or glutinous rice flour are both used in many Chinese bakery products and in many varieties of dim sum. They produce a flexible, resilient dough, which can take on the flavours of other ingredients added to it. Cooking usually consists of steaming or boiling, sometimes followed by pan-frying or deep-frying. Sweet glutinous rice is sometimes eaten with red bean paste.
Nuòmǐfàn is steamed glutinous rice usually cooked with Chinese sausage, chopped mushrooms, chopped barbecued pork, and optionally dried shrimp or scallop, depending on the preference.
Zòngzi is a dumpling consisting of glutinous rice and sweet or savoury fillings wrapped in large flat leaves, which is then boiled or steamed. It is most eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival but may be eaten at any time of the year. It is well known as an easily transported snack, or a meal to consume while travelling. It is a common food among Chinese in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.
Zīfàn'gāo is a well-known breakfast food originating in Eastern China consisting of cooked glutinous rice compressed into squares or rectangles, and then deep-fried. Additional seasoning and ingredients such as beans, zha cai, and sesame seeds may be added to the rice for added flavour. It has a similar appearance and external texture to hash browns.
Cífàntuán is another breakfast food consisting of a piece of youtiao tightly wrapped in cooked glutinous rice, sometimes with additional seasoning ingredients. Japanese onigiri resembles this Chinese food.
Lo mai gai is a dim sum dish, most often served in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, consisting of steamed glutinous rice with chicken in a lotus-leaf wrap.
Bābǎofàn is a dessert made from glutinous rice, steamed and mixed with lard, sugar, and eight kinds of fruits or nuts.
A distinctive feature of the cuisine of the Hakka people of Southern China is its variety of steamed snack-type buns, dumplings, and patties made with a dough of coarsely ground rice, or ban, collectively known as "rice snacks". Some are filled with various salty or sweet ingredients.
Common examples of rice snacks made with ban from glutinous or sticky rice and non-glutinous rice include aiban, caibao, ziba and bantiao.
Aiban encompasses several varieties of steamed patties and dumplings of various shapes and sizes, consisting of an outer layer made of glutinous ban dough filled with salty or sweet ingredients. It gets its name from the aromatic ai grass, which, after being dried, powdered, and mixed with the ban, gives the dough a green colour and tea-like taste. Typical salty fillings include ground pork, mushrooms, and shredded white turnips. The most common sweet filling is made with red beans.
Caibao is a generic term for all types of steamed buns with various sorts of filling. Hakka-style caibao are distinctive in that the enclosing skin is made with glutinous rice dough in place of wheat flour dough. Besides ground pork, mushrooms, and shredded turnips, fillings may include ingredients such as dried shrimp and dry fried-shallot flakes.
Ziba is glutinous rice dough that, after steaming in a large container, is mashed into a sticky, putty-like mass from which small patties are formed. After that, it is left to dry. When ready to eat, it is commonly fried, boiled or grilled. Then, it is usually coated with a layer of Chinese brown sugar syrup with sugary peanut or soybean powder. It has no filling.