The last few years have seen a resurgence in the popularity of rice, which has donned exciting new avatars. Hotelier India looks at the journey it has made through various menus, both in India and internationally.
When it comes to creativity, there is a world of opportunity with low-cost, multipurpose rice, which is virtually infallible, whether it is a quick service cafe or a fine dining restaurant.
In fact, chefs are conceiving a number of ingenious applications for rice in everything from ethnic creations and healthy spa cuisine to western comfort foods.
Risotto is sizzling and entrees such as salmon, pork and grilled chicken breast are finding a perfect companion in rice-based side dishes.
Executive chef Sahdev Mehta, Courtyard by Marriott, Pune Hinjewadi says, “Rice is a flexible ingredient and with the new thought-process going on in the food industry, it is undergoing a makeover.
Being an Asian staple, rice till some years ago was used mostly as regular pilafs, stir-fried dishes or steamed rice side dishes. However, today we see a prominent presence of rice, not only in the western cuisine, but also in novel dishes such as mango and rice ravioli, California rolls and the Japanese chocolate sushi.”
Spurring the renewed interest in this easy-to-serve grain, is its availability in more than 40,000 varieties found around the world. Executive chef Jose Borja, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel gives some interesting examples.
“In Japan, sticky rice is eaten at every meal; in India, rice is cooked separately and mixed with fat, meat or vegetables and spices to make pulaos or biryanis; in South America, rice is cooked dry and often topped with a spicy, saucy mix of red beans.
It forms an important element in the Mediterranean cuisine like paellas in Spain and risotto in Italy; in the Middle East it is present in the daily diet and in Southeast Asia and China it is a key element for every dish.”
Small wonder then that such a versatile ingredient has such exciting recipes around the globe, but Asian cuisines seem to be the clear winners among restaurateurs.
Varun Tuli, owner of The Yum Yum Tree, New Delhi-Chinese Oriental Grill & Sushi Bar agrees, “Asian countries use rice the most, including varieties like brown rice, wild red rice, organic black rice, long grain basmati rice, short grain Arborio, short grain and starchy glutinous rice.
It can be used in anything from a sweet, savoury snack or even a drink. Some well-known examples include pulao, biryani, idli, dosa and appam from Indian cuisine; Oriental cuisine has rice noodles, fried rice, conjee, rice flour in dim sum, rice wine like sake, soju, shochu; Italian has risotto, Indonesia has Nasi Goreng; Greeks eat rice stuffed in vine leaves, Spain has paella, the French have rice cakes, the Caribbean has jambalaya and the Japanese have their sushi and rice mochi dessert.”
What’s more, the industry unanimously agrees that whatever the food service application – there is a variety of rice for it. Now apart from main and side dishes, rice is increasingly being used in breakfast items and desserts as well.
Rice-based breakfast products like rice cereal, rice porridge, rice fritters, rice crisps and even rice noodles with condiments or Chinese congee are popular with East Asian and oriental guests.
Chef Sahdev Mehta explains the trend, “Rice is relatively easy to prepare and can be held for service longer as compared to breads. It’s very versatile so it can be offered at different courses in a meal, for example, Arancinis for a starter, biryani as the main course and chocolate sushi in dessert.
Similarly, breakfast items like dosas, uttapams and pesarattus rule the roost. Idli is an absolute must-have and the trend suggests that people from all over the country are moving towards the south Indian breakfast for health benefits.”
Chef Sahdev Mehta agrees, “Thai, Malaysian and Japanese food offers the most extensive array of rice dishes and especially wonderful desserts like the charmingly simple mango and sticky rice ravioli with rosemary, where the flavour of the mango and the rosemary pairs excellently with the body of the rice and compliments the taste.
Some other rice desserts popular with guests are sweet Pongal, rice and apricot pudding, sticky rice with mango, black rice and cantaloupe pudding, Adaprathaman and rice crispies.”
Another factor driving the popularity of rice is the rising awareness of its nutritional value and lighter menu options for the health conscious.
According to RiceTrade.com, rice provides vitamins including riboflavin, thiamine and niacin. It is an important source of complex carbohydrates, which provide energy to the body, and it also contains iron, vitamin D and calcium.
It contains no gluten and has no additives or preservatives. Rice also contains eight amino acids, which make it a good source of protein. Chef Sameer Dighe, Hotel Sahara Star Mumbai explains, “Broadly, rice is categorised by its size. Short grain has the highest starch content, while long grain is lighter.
The nutritional content of rice is based on the degree of milling that it undergoes. Moreover, to meet the many special requirements rice undergoes varying degrees of processing, including regular-milled, parboiled, precooked, and unmilled brown rice.”
Referring to the health benefits of the highly popular brown rice, Amit Bharadwaj, executive chef at Alila Diwa Goa says, “Brown rice contains vitamin B3, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, manganese, phosphorus, iron, dietary fibre and essential fatty acids.
Alternatively unmilled rice with its husk intact has a very high nutritive value, but when milled or polished, it loses all of these and needs to be fortified artificially.
The same can be done by chefs who can pair it with the right accompaniment, be it lentils, vegetables or meats in the right combination.”
Apart from health benefits, chefs also seem to prefer the nutty appealing flavour of the brown rice that makes for a wholesome side dish and produces flavourful meals.
Classic examples include brown rice served with barbecued pork, polenta flavoured with parmesan cheese and cream, rice rolls or Cheung Fan in dim sum. Other than brown rice, which is also the new trend in restaurants, the lesser known red rice and black rice that turns purple on cooking too are generating a great deal of interest in the food industry, as they are believed to help lower cholesterol levels and improve blood circulation.
Spa cuisine chefs often use certified, organic, brown, jasmine or Basmati rice for additional flavour and texture. In addition, with salads becoming the latest rage with hotel guests, contemporary cooks are adding rice grains in various forms in the typical salad serving to add a savoury twist.
High in nutrients and flavourful as well is the par-boiled brown rice in a green garden salad or in a crunchy spinach and tomato salad while a wild rice salad with oranges and toasted walnuts stands out on its own.
Executive chef Sumant Vikas Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai International Airport further adds “Rice is easily digestible and that makes it suitable for all ages and individuals with sensitive digestive systems, besides its naturally mild flavour, is a suitable complement to many dishes right from salads, entrees, main course to desserts, so one can really get
creative and do wonders with rice.”
Apart from the grain itself, restaurateurs also see an advantage in rice for its starch content and flour. V Srinivas, executive chef, Novotel Mumbai, Juhu Beach agrees, “Rice not only adds bold flavour but also contributes a great deal in uplifting the presentation of the dish – a case in point being the rice added to gumbo soup. In addition, rice cakes, risotto cakes, and rice as a coating and thickening agent are fast gaining prominence.”
In fact, the use of rice flour as starch or a thickening agent is especially popular in Asian cuisine where milled rice is a low-cost fat replacer and thickening agent. Chefs favour rice over other heavier starch options like potatoes and flour and consider it an excellent choice for gluten-free sauces and gravies.
With the latest trend in the food industry being the fusion of new ingredients within traditional recipes, this grain’s unique feature to adapt itself splendidly to numerous preparation methods and ingredients makes it easier to be part of fusion cuisines.
Bharadwaj further adds, “Indeed some varieties of rice like the Jasmine Rice that develops a singular flavour due to climatic and soil conditions, which further enhances the versatility of the grain and the recipes themselves.
The chefs can thus add cooked grains to any number of dishes or make the same dish with a combination of different grains.” Being an ubiquitous part of menus across the globe, all types of rice grains can marry with Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours, thus opening a whole new world of opportunities for recipe experimentation.
For instance, Japan’s rice sushi harmonises with western ingredients like avocado to give a striking new variation, Indian biryani cooked with Thai Jasmine rice is getting quite popular while South American rice topped with unusual saucy mixes, black rice Spanish paellas and Italian risottos of are some striking new twists to otherwise classical recipes. Chef Sumant Vikas talks about another distinct property of the grain.
“Rice has a mild and mellow flavour and adding any form of aromatic vegetables or regional spices enhances its flavour accordingly. In addition, rice is great at optimising texture and colour.
Different textures can be achieved through varied applications either as a thickening or coating agent. For example, when rice flour is used for coating fried fish, it lends it an excellent crispiness and golden colour.”
Not surprisingly, with the constant need to evolve and reinvent menus and to bring something fresh and innovative to the table, chefs are increasingly looking at resourceful rice to create trendy combinations and novel dishes.
Srinivas adds, “A lot of our European travellers are intrigued by the spices and flavours of biryanis in our restaurant. Our trendy clay-pot rice, new mushroom risotto finished in a block of parmesan cheese and paellas are very popular.” Executive chef Jose Borja shares his opinion, “Right now there are many trends that focus on rice and play with the texture to create rice foam and rice mousse, among other things.
However, the best trend is the combination of good quality rice with fresh products from the market and the best spices. Another interesting thing about rice, is that it absorbs liquid when it is cooked, thereby also absorbing flavours.
For example, our signature dish of green asparagus risotto has Arborio rice cooked with green asparagus and creamed with Parmigiano Reggiano while our biryanis combine the nutty flavour of Basmati rice with the aromas of spices and rose water.”
Bhardawaj adds, “The use of organic varieties of rice as well as rice in powder and liquid form are gaining ground. Some of the current varieties in our restaurants include south western coastal masala vaangi bhaat and the varan bhaat, north Indian slow cooked dum lamb biryani, Italian risotto, pan asian stir fried rice, as well as sushi.”
Tuli comments, “Some of our popular rice dishes include sushi, sticky rice in lotus leaf, Phad Kee Mao and angel-hair noodles.”
Most hotels prefer local sourcing of rice to save on costs and time. However, depending on the menu specifications based on what the hotel plans to serve its guests, imported rice variety too is obtained by restaurants.
Sumant Vikas explains, “With an increasing awareness about preserving the environment and keeping one’s carbon footprint low, the emphasis is on using local ingredients rather than importing them. Marriott International is a huge supporter of green initiatives.
As far as local rice is concerned, there is no problem in India though we do import some varieties where necessary. The challenge is maintaining the consistency as distributors have stock outs and consignment delays, which adversely affect the availability of rice dishes on our menus.
We have to maintain par stocks to counter such a situation which in turn increases our inventory on hand.” Aditya Garg, owner of Grain Mart suppliers for rice and other grains says, “The variations in the quality of rice depend on the supply of grain that is delivered in lots and as it is unfeasible to stock larger quantities such problems occur.”
Hoteliers also complain of inconsistency in quality, supply and prices of the grain. Tilda and Kohinoor, which are some of the major suppliers, also show some differences in their stocks, however slight.
Some vendors claim that the cause for the same is due to the uneven rice crop cultivation pattern, which sometimes creates scarcity of the grain and results in non-availability of quality rice and conversely, a rise in prices.
Srinivas however differs, “In my personal experience, procuring rice has never been a problem, whether it is quality Basmati rice or other exotic varieties. Rice has always been easily available.”
On the other hand, grain suppliers mention obstacles in procuring foreign rice as the government controls rice imports and obtaining import licenses and clearances from the health and husbandry ministry is a long and tedious process.
Tuli explains, “Some of the challenges faced in procurement of high quality rice and imported varieties today are duties, old stock and high prices.”
Despite the hurdles in sourcing some rice, the grain has seen a resurgence through new avatars.
By Sapna Kulshrestha
