What Is Long Grain Rice?

Long-grain rice is often used as a side dish

Rice is a grain derived from the edible seeds of a plant that is a member of the Oryza family. Long-grain rice is a type of the grain commonly used in many types of regional cooking.

Identification

As its name suggests, the individual pieces of long-grain rice are an average of 7mm in length. Long-grain rice is also identifiable after cooking as the grains remain separate, rather than clumped.

Types

Bran is the layer of long-grain rice that lays beneath the hull or shell of each grain of rice. Brown long-grain rice has the bran still intact, while there is no bran remaining on white long-grain rice. There are a number of sub-varieties of long-grain rice, such as basmati which has a nutty taste, as well as American long grain which has a relatively bland flavor.

Use

Because long-grain rice is fluffier, it is well-suited for use as a side dish or as a base for sauce, explains Cook's Thesaurus. Long-grain rice is common in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine.

Preparation

For preparation, long-grain rice requires submersion in hot or boiling water or other liquid. The rice grains absorb water and become plump and tender. The ratio of water to rice and the length of cooking time requires varies greatly based upon the type of rice and is usually listed on the packaging for the rice.

Benefits

One cup of long-grain cooked white rice contains approximately 17 percent of the daily recommended value of thiamin and selenium as well as 12 percent of niacin, 23 percent of folate and 37 percent of manganese, reports NutritionData.com. One cup of plain white rice is also low in fat and contains 3 percent of the daily recommended amount of fiber, while brown rice contains roughly 13 percent of a day's allowance of fiber.

References

• Cook's Thesaurus: Rice
• Sun Rice: The Rice Grain
• NutritionData.com: Nutriton Facts and Anaylsis for Rice, white, long-grain, regular, cooked

Resources

• What's the Best Rice?
• Rice Glossary