Indonesia is one of some countries that become a sourceful rice exporter, especially in the area of South East Asia. In some areas in this country, you can even see how wide all the rice fields are. They are located in some hectares of the land. And mostly, they are own privately by locals or a rice factory that located near those rice fields. Seeing this view, maybe you have questions for this like “why are rice fields are important”, “why people need rice”.
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Tho answer those questions, we need to see the behavior of Indonesian poeple. They really love to eat rice. Some even say that they couln’t eat a meal without rice, it’s becoming an important thing in their life. Maybe, this phenomenon happens because of their belief that rice contained a lot of carbohidrate they needed for working harder through the day. But the thing is, even though there’s some foods that also have the same level of carbo, they still think that rice is the one they needed. Because of that, people started being creative to make different kinds of rice to make it less boring and also have some more nutrition. So, those people creations are included in this article about the types of Indonesian rice that you can see below :
Indonesia as Rice Producer
Like mentioned above, Indonesia has a lot of rice fields in its lands. Wherever you see, you’ll certainly find one. Because of it’s pretty easy to reach it, many people would consider to make rice other than buying another stuff that have the same nutrition with it. The thing is, they can even produce the rice easily in the pretty fertile land in Indonesia. The cooking method is always simple too.
But, even though the number of rice fields in Indoenesa are still many in numbers, but they overnumbered by total population of Indonesia. Because of that, the white rice that always used for the main product is slowly become rare. Even though it’s scarcity is still inside a safe level, there must be a way to make other subtitutions products for the white rice. And maybe that’s why, many types of Indonesian rice created.
Beside that, there’s some types that have more nutrition that very good for the body. So, people who want to switch to another type of rice can try them instead.
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Types of Indonesian Rice
Indonesia has a very fertile lands. Thanks to that, many other types of rice can grow in this country and becoming basic need nowadays. Here’s some types of Indonesian rice :
1. Pandan Wangi Rice
For the first one on the list, we have this Pandan Wangi rice. Pandan wangi is like different from the other white rice. It’s not the colour, colour just totally similar. But the main difference between this rice and the other is the aroma. The aroma of Pandan Wangi is so good. It’s even far away from the usual smell of rice.
It has smell like pandanus leaves. So, eating it would be much better because of that smell alone. Bit beside the smell, the other difference between this Pandan rice and the others is the form. The form of the white rice in usual is oval, while the form of this type of rice is more round. Anyway the smell that came from this Pandan Wangi is natural, so there’s not chemical used in the process.
2. Rojolele
The next type of rice is Rojolele. You can easily notice it because of its symbol, which is a very big catfish with its mustache. It has a form that almost the same like Pandan Wangi rice, which is a very round form. But, the colour of Rojo Lele rice is like white milk, unlike Pandan Wangi, a white transparent one.
Even though having the same form and almost similar colour, this Rojolele rice doesn’t have any smell like Pandan Wangi’s. If you want to buy the affordable type of rice, Rojo lele can be a perfect candidate for you. Also, in the area of West Java, this type of rice has the other nickname. It’s called as Beras Muncul.
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3. IR 64
In the third one, we have IR 64 Rice. If Rojo Lele rice is affordable enough for basically everybody who wants to consume rice, then IR 64 is cheaper. It’s liked by people who live in the city, because way to get it is pretty easy, and also this IR 64 is not a rare thing. People usually call this type of rice as Setra Ramos rice.
It has a very good taste when cooked. The texture of the rice is also very good to eat. But, don’t store this rice for more than 3 months, because it’ll be expired. The taste and the form will change very badly. So, better produce it as fast as you can depend on your needs. Don’t store any rice for too long, or they will be “broken” naturally.
4. IR 42
Beside IR 64 above, there’s one kind of rice that has IR in it, which is IR 42. So what’s the difference between this one and the rice on above? The size of IR 42 rice is smaller than 64, and because of its smaller size, the price of it is also cheaper. But here’s the thing, when cooked, IR42 is not swollen and good like IR64.
IR 42 is drier when cooked. Because of that, IR42 is not recommended for daily use. But, for the people who have business in culinary like making Nasi Goreng, Nasi Uduk, Ketupat, or maybe Lontong, then this IR42 can fill your requirement. The rice is dry enough and also very affordable. It’s a great choice.
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5. Batang Lembang
There’s also a rice called Batang Lembang. For you who don’t know, Batang Lembang is actually the smae type with Japanese rice. The taste, form, and also smell are very similar with that. From the taste, the Batang Lembang rice is more full than the others. That’s why, eating smaller portions of this rice is like eating bigger portion of another rice.
This type of rice is known for having a really smooth texture and a little bit sticky after cooked. It’s really suitable for making Lontong and Ketupat. Also, if you want to try to make sushi, then maybe Batang Lembang rice is very suitable for you. You can use it as an alternative for the Japanese rice if you can’t find it.
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6. C4 Rice
Moving from the 5th one, we want to introduce you to the C4 Rice. Even though the name C4 sounds like very explosive thing, this rice is far from harm. Eating C4 rice would be much easier because you can have a sufficient portion of rice in one bit. This because of its small size that almost similar with IR42.
It’s rounder than IR42 actually, but the size of it is a little bit like IR62 but smaller. But, finding this type of rice will be a challenging task, because it’s not easy to find one in any market. Even in traditional markets, it’s a little bit hard to find it. The reason behind it is because only small groups of farmers cultivating it. Because of its rarity, the price can be silly sometimes.
7. Mentik Wangi Susu
If you want to have a type of rice that smells really good beside Pandan Wangi is Mentik Wangi Susu. It has the word Wangi in it, which means smells good in Bahasa Indonesia. The form of the rice is also a little bit oval, and this Mentik Wangi Susu has a colour of white milk, not transparent. It’s almost like a Ketan.
This is perfect for anyone who wants to have a whole different kind of rice with its specialities in the form, smell, and also a very smooth and swollen texture when cooked. The smell though, it can increase your apetite for some reason. The price and the benefits you can get by consuming it is really worth it.
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Other Imported Rice
Beside known as exporter of Red Rice, because of the condition now, Indonesia started to become an importer of rice. That’s why, because local products, sometimes we can find other imported rice. And they are also included in the types of Indonesian rice below :
1 Basmati Rice
2 Jasmine Rice
3 Arborio Rice
That’s the information about the types of Indonesian rice that very useful and important for people of Indonesia. Which one is your favorite type of rice? Show your answer on the comment section below. See you later !
