When Home Economics became known as Food Sciences, it accomplished more than just getting boys to enrol in the course. It changed the drudgery of cooking into the field of discovery and problem solving. It forced us to look beyond Minute Rice.

            That may be an exaggeration, but for me, cooking is about experimenting with new foods. I was always fascinated by grains; not only ancient grains such as quinoa and kamut, but that familiar staple, rice. In case you haven’t noticed, it ain’t just about white and brown anymore!

            When I lived in Calgary, I would often find my Saturday walk conveniently ending in China Town. I loved to stroll into the crowded shops, intrigued by the array of unfamiliar (and often smelly) products. On one such Saturday, I was planning a quasi-Thai dinner party and, totally disregarding my iron-clad rule to never serve anything new on a “first date,” went looking for adventure. In a Vietnamese shop (That’s close to Thailand, right?), I found bags of blackish-brown and tan coloured rice labelled: “Black (Sweet) Rice.”  I thought that with coconut milk, it might make an interesting and appropriate side dish for the hot and spicy chicken we were having.

            Without any thought, I cooked the rice in my normal way: two parts liquid to one part rice, also adding a can of coconut milk. An hour later, minutes before the guests were to arrive, I was disheartened to find I had made purple porridge. How was I going to save face and serve this glop?

            Well, despite appearances it tasted wonderful, and although I chalked it down as an experiment that had given me less than satisfactory results, I kept the large bag I had purchased just in case…

            That was maybe three years ago, and in those few years, I have noticed a slow but steady insurgence of new rice varieties appearing in the grocery store, not only the new generation of long-grain brown such as Jasmine and Basmati, but packaged mixtures like “Wild Blend” and “Jubilee,” made from long-grain brown, Wehani, and Black rice, “Christmas” made with Red rice, and “Black Japonica” which combines Mahogany and Black rice. I concluded—incorrectly—that this “Black Japonica” must be the same stuff I had sitting at home in my pantry.

            In the world of rice, there are many ways to categorize the thousands of varieties: colour, length of grain, stickiness, and region. In Canada, the preferred method is by length of grain: short, medium, or long. The terms used worldwide to distinguish the two most recognizable groups of rice are “Indica,” the long-grain rice, and “Japonica,” short-grain rice. Indica rice, which originated in India, China, and Indonesia, cooks up dry, fluffy, and separate. It includes the white and brown long-grain rice we are most familiar with, as well as Basmati and Jasmine. Japonica rice originated in Japan and Korea and cooks up moist and sticky. It includes Arborio which is used for risotto, Chinese Black and Thai Black (sweet) rice, and the white glutinous (sticky) rice favoured by the Japanese. And then there are many other varieties that don’t fit nicely into these two categories. Japonica rice is preferred by cultures who like their rice to stick, especially when using chop sticks or for sushi and Indica by those who like their rice fluffy and separate and, one must conclude, prefer to eat with a fork.

            Black Japonica, a descendant of Chinese Black, is now also grown extensively in the U.S. With its dark reddish-purple (puce?) husk intact, it is described as having a spicy sweetness. Its flavour mingles well with the nuttier flavours of long-grain rice, and these mixtures prevent the stickier short-grain from turning into mucilage. Black Japonica, when milled and polished to remove its husk and bran, becomes the white rice now used predominately for sushi.

            As it turns out, the rice I have been hording for three years is—it goes by all these names—Thai/Indonesian/black/purple/sweet/sticky rice. It is stickier than Black Japonica, sweeter, and (now I find out!) used mainly for desserts and breakfast cereals. I have found a yummy-sounding recipe for a Thai Black rice and mango salad which I will try next summer, and in the meantime, I find that I can mix a small amount of it in with other rice to get a slightly sticky, burgundy coloured side dish that is very tasty. I may have to go on a field trip in the near future to the ethnic shopping districts of Vancouver in search of Black Japonica and the other new rice I have been reading about.                       

            Cooking rice is not an exact science; there are too many variables. A lot depends upon your cooking pot, your heat source, age of rice you are using, and ultimately the end-purpose for your rice. Like pie crusts, don’t believe the “no-fail” recipes. It takes practice, trial and error, and a steady supply of willing test subjects. And relax; it’s not as if you are going to blow up the lab!