Glutinous rice
Name Variations[]
- sticky rice
- sushi rice
- sweet rice
- Chinese sweet rice
- waxy rice
- botan rice
- mochi rice
- Japanese rice
- pearl rice
About glutinous rice[]
Glutinous rice is the main type of rice grown and consumed by the people of Laos and Northeast Thailand, areas which are considered to be the primary center of origin and domestication of Asian rice which is also called Oryza sativa. It has been cultivated in this area for four thousand years. Glutinous rice does not contain dietary gluten, which means that does not contain glutenin and gliadin. The term glutinous rice refers to rice having no negligible amounts of amylose and high amounts of amylopectin, the two components of starch. Amylopectin is responsible for the sticky quality of glutinous rice.
Glutinous rice is usually served in a small basket made out of bamboo and it is served with the fingers of right hand. In Japan, glutinous rice is known as mochigome and It is used to make mochi, a traditional rice cake typically eaten during the Japanese New Year. Glutinous rice is also often ground to make glutinous rice flour. This flour is then made into niangao and sweet filled dumplings tangyuan, both of which are commonly eaten at Chinese new year. It also sometimes used as a thickener and for baking.