Sticky Brown Rice Recipe | The Gracious Pantry | Health Asian Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What makes Asian rice sticky? ›

Composition. Glutinous rice is distinguished from other types of rice by having no (or negligible amounts of) amylose and high amounts of amylopectin (the two components of starch). Amylopectin is responsible for the sticky quality of glutinous rice.

The key to sticky rice is to not rinse the rice — this washes away the starch dust that allows the rice to clump. Soak the sticky rice for in enough water to cover the rice. This softens the grain and the extra water helps add that fluffy texture. Soaking for 4-24 hours is a good range.

Sticky brown rice is an enjoyable and tasty addition to your meals. However, it also offers a range of health benefits. This makes sticky brown rice an excellent choice when you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle while enjoying your favorite meals.

First, add the rice to a medium saucepan and spread it out into an even, flat layer. Fill up the saucepan with enough water to just cover the rice and add 1 tablespoon of rice flour. Adding a bit of flour back into the mix is important to help it clump together.

Short grain white rice is the key ingredient to make sticky rice. It may also be referred to as sticky rice, sweet rice, or glutinous rice. This type of rice is different from regular long-grain or jasmine rice.

To keep things authentic, we recommend using Mahatma® Jasmine Rice for this recipe but, you could try it with another long-grain variety like White Rice. Don't wash the rice before cooking, you need more starch in the rice so the rice sticks together properly.

"Sushi rice" is merely a label commercial sellers put on Japanese short-grain rice for consumers. While it is not exclusively meant for making sushi, you can use it to prepare various rice dishes or recipes calling for short-grain rice. To clarify, sushi rice is not sticky rice.

Sticky/Glutinous Rice

Finish: Brown, purple/black (shown below), polished white (shown above). Region: Across Asia. Also known as glutinous or sweet rice, sticky rice is a short-grain japonica variety that has a relatively large amount of amylopectin, which makes it incredibly sticky.

It is the excess release of starch during steaming that sticky rice gets that glue-like texture to them. Sticky rice health benefits include increased bone density, decreased inflammation, improved heart health, etc.

Rinsing helps remove excess starch from the rice, which can make it less sticky when cooked. Keep in mind that not rinsing can lead to less fluffy, separate grains of rice in the final dish.

What makes Japanese sticky rice sticky? ›

Sticky rice has an unusually high amount of amylopectin and is very low in amylose, helping the grains stick together as they cook. It's similar to sushi rice, but significantly stickier. (Here's how to make sushi rice, which you can use to make homemade California Sushi Rolls.)

If you can't find sticky rice anywhere, try searching for "sweet rice," or "glutinous rice." They are the same thing. Try using another short-grain rice or risotto rice. Both will have a stickier texture once cooked (compared to medium and long-grained rice).

According to Food52, most sticky rice in the U.S. is labelled as "glutinous rice" or "Thai sweet rice." The culinary site also recommends sticking to Thai brands, like Three Horses or Rose, when possible to make sure you're getting the most authentic sticky rice.

You need the proper kind of rice with short plump grains so it will leak starch and that will make it sticky. Then you have to cook it the right way with not too much water, so you don't pour the starch away with the excess water.

Use a long-grain rice that has less surface starch than short-grain or sticky rice. Rinse the rice several times or soak briefly, to remove starch from the outer layers. Don't soak the rice too long or leave it wet for long, before cooking. Cook the rice with the right amount of water for the type of rice.

Gluggy rice is simply rice that has been overcooked and absorbed too much water. If it sticks together in clumps, it usually indicates a lot of starch. You won't notice the starch coating each of the rice grains before you start cooking, but when it hits the water and heats up, it becomes extremely gluey.

Run the rice under cool water for 1 minute to remove starch.

Try to rinse it for about 1 minute, or until all of the rice gets wet. Rice often has a layer of starch on it that can make it super sticky when it gets wet. Rinsing this off will help prevent it from sticking to your pot.