Why Do You Have To Wash Rice? Which Types Of Rice Do Not?

Washing rice is part of everyday life in countries like China or Indonesia. We explain why the grain is washed before preparation.

Wash Rice: Why?

What’s the point of washing rice? There are two reasons why the grain is washed before cooking:

• solve starch
• clean

White rice has a thin layer of starch that covers the entire grain. During cooking, it dissolves and makes the rice stickier. This effect is undesirable in many dishes because the rice becomes mushy. If the grain is washed beforehand, you can already dissolve the starch in the rinsing water, which has a number of advantages:

• single grains
• firm bite
• more intense taste

Especially with dishes with rice as a side dish, such as curry or fricassee, it is advisable to dissolve the starch. This allows the individual grains to absorb sauces, for example, better. The second reason is dirt removal, which may have been necessary for the past and is still necessary today in developing countries. Depending on storage and processing, different particles can appear in the rice:

• dirt
• Dust
• sediments (e.g. sand)
• pests

You don’t have to worry about that since rice available in Germany is usually checked for contamination and pest infestation before you buy it. If you buy rice at a local market on a Southeast Asia holiday, it may be contaminated. Wash this one as a precaution, just to be on the safe side.

Creamy rice varieties

Of course, there are types of rice that you don’t need to wash. These are mostly varieties that are used for certain, often creamy, dishes. The most well-known examples include:

• risotto rice
• rice pudding
• Paella Rice

With these varieties, starch is needed for the dish. Risotto, for example, becomes pleasantly creamy thanks to the starch layer, which has a positive effect on the taste. This also applies to paella and rice pudding. The starch is boiled down into the dish. For this reason, no liquid is thrown away during preparation, otherwise, the strength will be lost. The rice grains separate too much and the dish tastes “dry”.

Tip: Sushi or mochi rice are washed despite the desired sticky effect, as these types of rice have a particularly high starch content in comparison. We will tell you what you have to consider when cooking sushi rice in order to prepare the perfect basis for delicious sushi rolls.

Special rice varieties

There are other types of rice that do not require washing due to their manufacturing process or natural properties:

• Black Rice
• Parboiled Rice
• quick cook rice
• Musenmai
• Fortified Rice

Black rice contains very little starch. Therefore, it can be cooked directly. In the case of parboiled, quick-cooking rice and musenmai (Japanese no-wash rice), the starch layer is removed by machine. Washing is therefore completely unnecessary with these. Fortified Rice describes rice that has been specially enriched with nutrients and trace elements in order to use specifically to combat malnutrition. If this rice is washed, all these substances are lost.

Tip: With boil-in-the-bag rice, you don’t have to worry about washing because the grains are already completely bottled and ready to use.