Rice is a staple food for most people in various countries, especially in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Vietnam and of course our country is the Republic of Indonesia. Everyone needs Staple foods like rice to meet the energy needs of his body. Therefore, rice is one of the most important commodities in the world, more than half the population in the world, which is more than 3.5 billion people, making rice as a staple food source. Among these 3.5 billion people, 90% are residents of the Asian Continent.
Rice in Indonesia is various. Not only white rice is usually consumed, it turns out in Indonesia is also rich in brown rice and black rice, and glutinous rice, which is rich in benefits! Brown rice is rich in fiber, vitamin B1, Mg, and is rich in amino acids that are important for the body. Black rice is more special, and rather rare. Here are some types of rice that are common in the market and their characteristics:
- Pandan Wangi
Pandan Wangi is also one of the choices of Indonesian people’s favorite rice because of its distinctive fragrance. As the name implies, the characteristic of Pandan Wangi is the aroma of the pandanus which can easily be smelled when the rice is cooked perfectly.
Another feature is the round shape of the rice, not oval like Setra Ramos. In addition, Pandan Wangi also has a grain that tends to be clear yellowish. So, you need to be vigilant when you find white and oval shaped rice that has a pandan aroma.
- IR 64 (Setra Ramos)
This rice price is quite affordable and much favored by the urban community. Normally this type of rice is fluffy if it is cooked into rice, but if it is too old (more than 3 months), this rice becomes a little dry, and easily stale when it becomes rice.
This rice has a rather long / oval physical characteristic, not round. This rice does not produce fragrance like fragrant pandanus, but often rice factories / traders add bleaching chemicals, lubricants and fragrances to this rice. So be careful if you encounter rice with an oval shape, but it smells fragrant, it could be that the rice has been added to a chemical deodorizer.
- Rojolele
Rojolele or also commonly referred to as Munjul Rice has a rounded shape with a little milky white part. In addition, this rice also does not have a distinctive aroma like fragrant pandanus.
If it has been cooked, the resulting rice has a soft fluffy texture. Therefore, Rojolele is also one of the favorite choices of the Indonesian people even though the price is somewhat higher compared to other varieties. This is because Rojolele is a variety whose age is not long, so it’s not really easy to harvest.
- IR 42
IR 42 rice is not round, similar to IR 64 but smaller in size. If the rice is cooked, the rice is not fluffy, but it is suitable for special needs such as fried rice, uduk rice, rice cake, ketupat and so on. Usually the price is relatively more expensive than IR 64 because rice is rarely planted by farmers.
The Consumers of this rice are mostly Minang people. Minang people usually prefer the taste of rice that is somewhat rattled / pera. So Minang people prefer IR-42 rice.
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- C4 rice
Its physical characteristics are similar to IR42 rice but are slightly more rounded, like IR64 but smaller. This rice is still very rarely found on the market, because it is rarely planted by farmers. The rice is fluffy like IR64, but it’s fluffier.
- Batang Lembang (Japanese Rice)
Long rice grains, clear white rice color. Rice is super fluff when compared to other varieties. This kinds of rice usually consumed by the restaurant or hotels.
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- Mentik Wangi Susu
Small flat rice grains, the color of milky white rice (like sticky rice), the aroma of fragrant rice. It usually fluffed and fragrant rice. The character of rice is tender and fluffy and smells good when cooked. In addition, this type of rice is said to also be nutritious and efficacious to reduce blood sugar levels.
Patients with diabetes or hypertension are suitable to consume rice called mentik fragrant milk. This is because rice is fragrant milk is a local seed without genetic engineering and is cultivated organically without using chemical pesticides.
- Brown Rice
This rice is red due to the aleurone containing a gene that produces anthocyanins which are sources of red or purple. Peeled rice, the red color of the rice is not peeled so there are still many vitamins contained in each grain of brown rice. This fiber-rich red rice if cooked requires special tricks to avoid hard rice, which is to be soaked for about 15-30 minutes before cooking.
- Black Rice
This rice is very rare, due to aleuron and endospermia producing high intensity anthocyanins so that thick purple color approaches black. Aside from being a food of black rice it also functions as a drug because it has higher levels of vitamins, microelements and amino acids than ordinary rice. Purplish black rice.
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- Glutinous Rice
Sticky rice or commonly called glutinous rice, is a staple food commonly served in Southeast Asian cuisine. Unlike other rice which is the staple food, glutinous rice is this food can be processed by steaming or boiling for use in various kinds of recipes. Sticky texture comes from a single genetic mutation that causes it to stick. Eating sticky rice turned out to offer a variety of health benefits by increasing the intake of minerals and vitamins essential for the body
Those are the kinds of rice in Indonesia. No matter Indonesians’ choice for the type of rice, be careful of the fake rice that recently popular. Be careful if you find some kinds of rice with the chemical whitening that would harm your body system. Make sure to be detail before buying something.
