Rice, grains and cereals

About rice and grains

In the kitchen they are the starting point for a limitless array of dishes - not just pilaffs and risottos, but porridges, noodles, stews, salads, cakes and even drinks. Economical, healthy and delicious, grains are the epitome of comfort food and can be turned into supper quickly and easily.

Varieties of rice

Hundreds of rice varieties are grown throughout the world. All can be categorised as long, medium or short grain. Long-grain rices are thin, dainty and pointed, while medium grain and short grain rices are plumper, starchier and more absorbent.

Medium-grain rices include Spanish varieties such as calasparra, valencia, and some others sold as paella rices, plus the risotto rices arborio, vialone nano and carnaroli. Pudding rice, sushi rice, and the Spanish variety bomba are examples of short-grain varieties. Fat, creamy grains of pudding rice are ideal for making a comforting dish of rice pudding.

Long-grain rices, if cooked properly, will stay separate and fluffy, as in a good pilau. Basmati and patna from Asia are two examples, though North America produces a great deal of long-grain rice too.

Some rice varieties may also be described as sticky or glutinous (though they do not contain gluten). The name refers to their texture once cooked. The grains hold together, making them easy to mould into sushi and pick up with chopsticks.

Fragrant rices, which have a mouth-watering scent, are popular throughout Asia and there are many grades and varieties. That most commonly found on sale in Britain is called Thai fragrant rice or jasmine rice. It's a slightly sticky long-grain variety.

Wholegrain varieties

Among the rices you'll find on sale today are red, green and black varieties. Just like brown rice, they are wholegrain, retaining the nutritious outer layer of skin, but the starchy interior is white, no matter what colour the coat.

Retaining the outer layer means that these rices take anything from 10-30 minutes longer to cook than white rices, and the grains remain separate when boiled. If you would like to try wholegrain rice but baulk at the idea of longer cooking, chose brown basmati, which will be ready to eat in less than 25 minutes.

Purplish-black 'wild rice' is not rice, but an aquatic grass from North America. Difficulty in harvesting makes it expensive, but the grain's colour, elegant shape and subtly nutty flavour make it a luxurious base for a special stew or salad. For an economical alternative, some manufacturers sell ready-made blends of wild rice and true rice grains. On its own, wild rice takes 45 to 50 minutes to cook; when cooking a ready-made blend you should follow the packet instructions as the wild rice will have been specially selected or treated to ensure it is done at the same time as the other grains in the packet.

Wheat and spelt

Wheat is the most familiar cereal used in Britain today and is made into bread, cakes, biscuits, pastry, breakfast cereals and pasta. Whole wheat grains have a satisfying, chewy texture, but as their cooking time is so long it is more common to see further-processed varieties on sale.

Cracked wheat is dried whole grains of wheat that have been cut by steel blades so that the starchy interior is revealed and cooking time reduced. Bulgar wheat is par-boiled before cracking. It has a light texture and only needs rehydrating by soaking in boiling water or stock.

Semolina is a grainy yellow flour ground from durum or hard wheat and is the main ingredient of dried Italian pasta. Couscous is made from semolina grains that have been rolled, dampened and coated with finer wheat flour. To prepare it for the table, couscous can be steamed (as is traditional in North Africa) or rehydrated in boiling water or stock.

Spelt is a grain closely related to common wheat. It's a nutritious alternative to common wheat and is increasingly popular with those seeking more variety in their diet. It can be used in any recipe that incorporates regular wheat including pasta, breads and cakes, and is available in both wholemeal and white varieties of flour.

Other grains

Barley grows in a wider variety of climatic conditions than any other cereal, so can be found in traditional diets of North Africa and Asia as well as the cold Highlands of Scotland. It is available in wholegrain, 'pot' or semi-pearled (meaning partially milled), pearled (which means the grain has been polished to remove the seed coat), as well as barley flour and cereal flakes. Pearl barley is a hearty addition to stews and casseroles and can be used to make a risotto-like dish. Barley flour makes deliciously sweet breads.

There are various grades of oatmeal, as well as rolled oats and jumbo oat flakes. All forms can be used to make porridge, combined with nuts to make a vegetarian roast, or added to meaty stews. Oatmeal's low in gluten so can't be used to make a good loaf of risen bread unless combined with wheat flour, although it can be used on its own for flatbreads such as oatcakes. It brings a sweet, creamy flavour to bread, muffins, waffles and pancakes, and is delicious used in creamy desserts such as cranachan. Oatmeal contains oils that can become rancid, so watch the best-before date on the packet.

Rye flour contains enough gluten to make a yeasted loaf on its own, and tends to produce dense, dark, richly flavoured bread. It's often mixed with wheat flour to produce a lighter style of bread. Rye flour's intensely fruity flavour is delicious incorporated into fruited cakes and sweet quickbreads. There are not many uses for wholegrain rye, although kibbled rye makes a good addition to multiseed loaves. Rye flakes are good in muesli.

Gluten-free grains

Corn (or maize) is native to Mexico and is the foundation of that country's diet. The Mexicans have myriad uses for it, best known of which are their flatbreads, called corn tortillas. However corn's popularity has seen it spread throughout the world. It is a deliciously sweet and crunchy addition to pancakes, muffins and quickbreads. There are some excellent corn pastas on the market these days too. In Italy cornmeal is used to make polenta; similar porridge-style mixtures are made from corn in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. Don't confuse cornmeal with cornflour, which is a refined starch used for thickening.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is an ancient crop of the South American Incas and is high in protein, making it especially useful for vegetarians. Technically a seed, quinoa looks a bit like a flying saucer. It's as quick to cook as white rice and is ready when its spiral-like germ has separated from the gelatinous sphere. It is good used in salads, or as a substitute for rice.

Buckwheat is a staple of Eastern European and Russian cuisine and has a rich meaty flavour. The grains are best toasted then incorporated in pilaff-style dishes and salads. In Brittany, buckwheat flour is used to make sweet and savoury galettes, while in North America it is combined with wheat flour to make thicker pancakes, great with bacon and maple syrup. It's also used to make distinctively flavoured noodles, especially Japanese soba.

Mild-tasting millet makes a handy alternative to rice. It's delicious made into Indian-style pilaffs, congee-style soups, and salads, but benefits from being lightly toasted before boiling. Raw millet is often kneaded into multigrain bread doughs for an attractive look and pleasant crunch. Millet flakes can be made into porridge or added to muesli. Millet flour is available and is sometimes also made into pasta.

Amaranth is native to the Americas, where thousands of years ago it was a staple food in areas including California, Arizona, Bolivia and Peru. The plant is grown for its tiny, sand-like seeds as well as its leaves, which can be cooked like spinach. The grain turns sticky when boiled in water, so is best compared to porridge. Alternatively cook it in a dry pan until it pops like popcorn - it can then be used as an interesting, nutritious addition to breakfast cereals and confectionery.

Storing rice and grains

While it's tempting to leave them in the packet you brought them in, grains and grain products such as couscous should be transferred to an airtight container and kept in a cool, dark place to optimise their shelf life and prevent infestation from mice and tiny black biscuit beetles. Take a note of the use-by date on the packet before storing.

Consumers are not told the date of harvest so it's best to try to use grains within one year of purchase, and ideally within three to six months. Unless your family is very large and eats a great deal of one variety, it is preferable to buy grains little and often rather than in bulk. A good habit to cultivate is using up or discarding all old packets once a year, say at the end of winter when hearty meals based on grains are warming and comforting.

Preparing rice and grains

Should you wash rice before cooking? It depends on the recipe. In cases such as risotto or rice pudding, where you want to capitalise on the rice's starchiness to make the dish creamy, washing the rice would be detrimental. Conversely, when making sushi, the rice needs to be washed several times before cooking in order to achieve the right texture. It can be useful to rinse or wash basmati when making pilaffs to get rid of some of the starch and help make the result fluffier. Most wholegrain rices benefit from a quick rinse before cooking to minimise the froth forming on the surface of the boiling liquid.

Unlike some varieties of dried beans, it is not essential to soak other grains before cooking unless a recipe specifically tells you to do so. With some varieties, such as wholegrain rye, it can help to reduce the cooking time, but usually it does not make a significant difference, and you have the added bother of soaking to contend with.

Cooking rice and grains

The cooking time of grains varies according to the specific shape and variety, the age of the grain, the degree of processing or pearling, and the type of dish in which it is being used. The best advice is to follow recipe instructions, or the method on the packet - in which case test the grains for doneness a few minutes before the time specified, as cooking time is often overestimated.

Many cooks favour the absorption method for cooking white long grain rice. For this, measure the rice by volume in a measuring jug - not by weight - allowing about 65ml per person if it is for a side dish. Stir in about double the amount of liquid (such as water or stock) and simmer in a covered saucepan for about 15 minutes. Do not try to stir the rice while it is boiling. Remove the pan from the heat and place a clean tea towel under the lid for five minutes to help absorb the steam and keep the grains separate. Fluff up the rice with a fork before serving.

Alternatively, simply boil the rice in an open pan in a generous quantity of water, then drain thoroughly before serving. This is the best method for all wholegrain rices and other grains still in their granular form.

While many people think of rice and grains as simple side dishes, they're more exciting when used as meals in their own right. They readily absorb other flavours, so work especially well with rich sauces and casseroles.

Cold, cooked rice or grains can be thrown into salads or soups, or used to stuff vegetables such as peppers or aubergines. Pre-cooked risotto can be made into fritters or the classic Sicilian dish arancini (stuffed and deep-fried rice balls).

Cooked rice that's left standing around can cause food poisoning. If you're cooking rice in advance, then cool it down as quickly as possible, ideally within one hour, and then store in the fridge for no more than a day.

Recipes

Courgette and herb risotto by Sophie Grigson (video recipe)

Vegetable pullao by Madhur Jaffrey (video recipe)

Pot au feu by Mike Robinson

Raspberry cranachan by James Martin