Thai Rice - The Common Names And Cooking Tips

Shopping for rice these days can be as complicated as shopping for clothes: there are so many different types and colors available, it's hard to know what to choose. But if you've ever sampled the various types of rice on the market-from Chinese short grain to Indian Basmati, Italian Arborio (used for "Risotto"), or even the Native North American Wild Rice-you would have to agree that Thai Jasmine Rice is one of the best-tasting, not to mention one of the most nutritional of all types of rice.

Thai rice is often sold in our local grocery stores or Asian stores as "Fragrant Rice", "Jasmine Rice", or "Scented Rice". In Thailand, Thai rice is known as "Kao Hom Mali" (Jasmine-scented Rice), because of its naturally fragrant properties. With jasmine rice's good-taste and high-quality, it's no wonder that Thailand is the number one rice exporter in the world. In fact, if you were to venture via river boat out of Bangkok toward the Central Plains, you would see nothing but rice paddies for miles and miles, and the vibrant bright green of rice shoots growing.

For those who prefer an even healthier variety of rice, another option is "Thai Brown Rice" or "Thai Whole-grain Rice". This is the same jasmine-scented rice, except that the bran covering has been left on the rice kernel, giving it extra fiber plus valuable vitamins that are normally lost in the milling process. Sometimes this type of rice is also sold under the name, "Cargo Rice".

Common Rice Names

Thai Sweet Rice
Thai Sticky Rice
Jasmine Rice
Cargo Rice
Whole-grain Rice
Fragrant Rice
Scented Rice

Cooking Tips

By far the easiest way to cook Thai rice is with a rice cooker. Just follow the instructions that come with the cooker to make perfect rice every time. Or go by the ratio of 2 cups water to every 1 cup of rice. Then simply turn the rice cooker on and wait until the rice is done.

To cook brown rice, double the amount of water you would normally use for white rice (also double the cooking time). Then follow the same instructions (as written above) for white rice.