Rice : For centuries Southeast Asia’s favorite staple, this grain is high in nutritive values, easy to digest and low in calorie content; what’s more, it can be combined in delicious dishes for all kinds of meals, from appetizers to desserts

Rice cookery is a rich pursuit in Los Angeles. At the Grill Table, a lunch counter in the apparel district, Isaac Sabzerou ladles out huge servings of aromatic rice sprinkled with a forest of dill weed. It’s a dish from his native Iran.

At Dewi, an Indonesian shop in Chinatown, Mary Djie fingers long dark grains that some might take for wild rice. Instead, this is black glutinous rice with which Indonesians make a sweet porridge that is as dark as midnight.

At the Bharat Bazaar in Culver City, Phulan Chander and her friend, Rikki Bhatia, tell how they prepare India’s prized, long-grain basmati rice. Bhatia makes a creamy rice pudding that is scented with cardamom and rose water and flecked with green-tinged pistachio nuts. Stacked by the counter where they chat are rough burlap sacks of basmati shipped from Amritsar in the Punjab. The older the rice, the better, Chander said. The grains in these sacks are mere babies, only 6 to 7 months old.

In Monterey Park, the bustling Hoa Binh supermarket is piled with bulky sacks of long-grain rice from the southern United States and Thailand. Jasmine rice, a long-grain Thai variety named for its special aroma, has a wide following among Asian cooks. Thai groceries like the Los Angeles Super Market on North Spring Street carry it. So do other markets that cater to a cross-section of Asians.

At the Modern Food Market in Little Tokyo, medium-grain rice predominates because the Japanese prefer its slightly sticky texture. Sets Minabe combines it with long-grain rice for Chirashi-Zushi, an ornate platter of food that she prepares on special occasions. Minabe sprinkles the seasoned rice with pretty pink oboro, a Japanese condiment made from flaked fish, then adds colorful layers of bamboo shoots, peas, shiitake mushrooms, omelet shreds, shrimp, red ginger and slivers of the pink-bordered fish cake called kamaboko.

JUMP STARTS HERE Then there is supersticky, short-grain glutinous rice, which is also known as sweet or waxy rice. The Chinese turn it into dumplings. Koreans mix it with sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, chestnuts and dates for a dessert. And Irmina Valledor of Highland Park combines it with long-grain rice for Bibingkang Malagkit, an extravagant Filipino dessert topped with brown sugar and nuts.

Italians patiently stir plump arborio rice with broth to make creamy risottos. Busy people rely on instant or converted rices and seasoned rice mixes. Health-minded cooks work with brown rice. Still more options are offered by byproducts such as rice flour, rice noodles, rice cereals and rice cakes.

It is not surprising to learn that rice consumption in the United States is rising. The heavy influx of new residents from Asia, where rice is a staple, is one factor. Another is increased emphasis on carbohydrate consumption in general.

Consumption Has Grown

The annual per-capita consumption of milled table rice in the United States has grown from 7.6 pounds in 1975 to 8.6 pounds in 1984. These figures are from Statistical Bulletin No. 736 of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service and are the most recent available.

However, the increase may actually be much greater. According to the Rice Growers Assn. of California, a cooperative based in Sacramento, per-capita consumption for 1986 may have soared to 12.2 pounds. The association bases this estimate on current marketing trends.

California produces mainly medium- and short-grain rice but in 1984 began to market a long-grain rice (see story on Page 29). In 1986, California growers harvested 21,917,000 hundredweight of medium-grain rice; 4,290,000 hundredweight of short-grain rice, most of which goes to industrial processors, and 1,520,000 hundredweight of long-grain rice.

Medium-grain rice is labeled CalRose; short-grain is called CalPearl, and the RGA’s long-grain rice is packed under the brand name Hinode.

Other major rice-producing states are Arkansas, which supplies one-third of the American crop; Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. The Rice Council of America, which is based in Houston, reports that the United States exports two-thirds of its rice and is the second leading rice shipper after Thailand.

The American crop is only 2% of the world’s supply but goes to 120 countries, according to James Willis, the Rice Council’s vice president of foreign market development. Ninety percent of the world’s rice is grown and consumed in Asia. The leading producers are China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The current severe drought in Asia is drastically reducing harvests. India, the world’s second-largest rice producer, expects to lose about 20 million tons of its main crop this year, according to Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, director general of the International Rice Research Institute. The institute is an internationally funded scientific research station located at the University of the Philippines School of Agriculture at Los Banos, outside Manila. About 25% of its budget comes from the United States.

An IRRI bulletin states that Thailand’s 1987 crop is expected to be 1.9 million tons less than in 1986. Kampuchea anticipates a drop of 1 million tons. Laos is requesting aid in the form of 350,000 to 400,000 tons of rice. And farmers in northern Vietnam have planted only half the main rice crop due to lack of rainfall. IRRI has not received sufficient data to assess the situation in China, the leading rice producer, and Pakistan.

Rice is strategic to the Asian diet because it is often the main food consumed. It is healthful, easy to digest and suitable for special diets. A half-cup serving of white rice contains 82 calories. The same amount of brown rice contains 89 calories. The Rice Council states that rice is low in sodium, gluten-free, non-allergenic, a complex carbohydrate and cholesterol-free, containing only a trace of fat.

The old harangue, “Eat it, it’s good for you,” is only half the story when applied to rice. “Eat it, it’s good” is also true, as the accompanying recipes demonstrate. They also show that rice can play every role from main dish to side dish, salad and dessert.

Minabe’s richly flavored Chirashi-Zushi makes an intriguing light entree. The recipe appears in “Centenary Favorites,” a cookbook published by the Centenary United Methodist Church (see story on Page 3).

Sabzerou suggests serving his dill rice with stewed lamb and yogurt. Or the cooked lamb can be mixed with the rice to make a sturdy one-dish meal.

Easy Vegetable Biryani is a shortcut Indian vegetarian dish. Frozen mixed vegetables are layered with the rice, and chopped tomato, onion and cilantro are sprinkled over the top.

Marylouise’s Rice Salad employs a long-grain and wild-rice mix. Despite its name, wild rice is not a rice but the grain of an aquatic grass. In texture and appearance, the salad resembles Middle Eastern tabbouleh.

Sinangag is Filipino-style fried rice, seasoned only with garlic and salt. Filipinos like this dish for breakfast as well as with other meals.

Preparing an Italian Risotto requires patience, as a large amount of broth is added to the rice very gradually, and each addition is stirred until absorbed. Arborio rice from Italy, traditionally used for Risotto, can be found in specialty stores and Italian markets.

However, M-401, a subclass of California medium-grain rice, is roughly similar to arborio. Marketed by the Rice Growers Assn. under the name Kokusai Rose, M-401 is a premium-quality rice that is favored for sushi because it is very white and holds together when cold.

In India, basmati rice, which Bhatia uses for the rice pudding called kheer, is always washed and soaked before it is cooked. Bhatia simmers the kheer in a microwave oven for a long time. The variation given here is cooked on top of the stove and decorated with candied rose petals to harmonize with the rosewater flavoring.

Irmina Valledor, who once taught home economics in Manila, says that Filipinos serve Bibingkang Malagkit for dessert and also for breakfast along with salabat, a tea made with ginger root. Malagkit is the Tagalog word for glutinous rice.

Indonesians call their black sticky rice ketan hitam, and the porridge made with it is Bubor Ketan Hitam. The natural flavor of the rice is sufficient seasoning, Mary Djie says, but some cooks like to add pandan flavoring, which the United States imports from Thailand and Indonesia.

The final dessert is nutmeg-flavored rice pudding, an American classic made with medium-grain rice.

CHIRASHI-ZUSHI

2 cups short-grain rice

1 cup long-grain rice

3 cups water

White vinegar

Sugar

Salt

1/2 teaspoon MSG

12 small shrimp, unshelled

1/2 kamaboko (Japanese fish cake)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 (6 1/2-ounce) can bamboo shoots

2/3 cup dashi (Japanese soup stock)

3 dried Oriental black mushrooms, soaked until soft

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Oboro

1/2 cup thawed frozen peas, cooked

Slivered benishoga (red ginger)

Wash rice well. Place in saucepan and add water. Soak 1 hour. Stir rice, cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice stand 10 to 15 minutes. Combine 1/4 cup vinegar, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon salt and MSG. Mix with rice. Let cool.

Wash shrimp in shell. Boil in salted water until pink. Peel shrimp. Slice each in half and rinse in vinegar. Pour boiling water over kamaboko. Cut julienne. Combine eggs, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1/3 teaspoon salt. In large non-stick skillet, cook egg mixture in thin sheet. Remove from pan in one piece. Roll up and slice into thin strips.

Cut bamboo shoots in halves. Combine in saucepan with 1/3 cup dashi, 5 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until tender. Cut into thin strips. Combine mushrooms in saucepan with 1/3 cup dashi, 5 teaspoons sugar and soy sauce. Cook until liquid is absorbed. Cut into thin strips. Cool all ingredients.

Place rice on large platter. Sprinkle oboro over rice, then bamboo shoots, mushrooms, fish cake, peas, egg strips and red ginger. Arrange shrimp on top. Makes 8 servings.

Note: Oboro (pink colored, sweetened flaked fish), benishoga, kamaboko and stock base for dashi are available in Japanese markets and some supermarkets.

GRILL TABLE’S DILL RICE

2 cups basmati or other long-grain rice

1 teaspoon salt

1 (10-ounce) package frozen small lima beans

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup dried dill weed

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Place rice in bowl. Add 10 cups water. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand 12 hours. Drain rice. Place in large pot. Add 3 quarts water and lima beans. Bring to boil. Boil 1 minute, then drain. Rice should still be slightly firm.

Heat 1/2 cup oil in large heavy pot. Add 1 cup cooked rice and beans. Top with some of dill. Make another layer in this fashion. Continue until ingredients are used up. Cover and cook over very low heat 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add butter 10 minutes before rice is done. Season to taste with salt. Rice will form crisp layer about 1/4 inch thick at bottom of pot. Spoon out rice, then remove crust and serve with rice. Makes 8 servings.

EASY VEGETABLE BIRYANI

2 cups basmati rice

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon oil

3 cups water

1/3 cup canned tomato sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 bay leaves

1 stick cinnamon

4 whole cloves

1 teaspoon salt

1 (10-ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 small tomato, chopped

1/4 small onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Wash rice thoroughly. Place in bowl, cover with water and let stand 15 minutes. Drain.

Saute onion and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Place rice in large saucepan. Add 3 cups water, tomato sauce, garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves and salt. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

In another large pan, make layers of rice and mixed vegetables. Cover and steam gently 15 minutes. Turn out onto large platter or into bowl. Sprinkle top with chopped tomato, sliced onion and cilantro leaves. Makes 8 servings.

Note: Garam masala is spice blend available at Indian markets and some gourmet shops.

SINANGAG

1 cup long-grain rice

1 tablespoon oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

Chopped green onions, optional

Cook rice without adding seasoning the day before needed and refrigerate. Bring rice to room temperature before serving and break apart any clumps.

Heat oil in wok. Add garlic and salt and cook until oil is flavored and garlic aroma is released. Brown garlic lightly, if desired, but do not allow to burn. Add rice and toss with garlic mixture until heated through and some of rice is lightly browned. Garnish with chopped green onions. Makes 6 servings.

MARYLOUISE’S RICE SALAD

1 (6-ounce) package long-grain and wild rice mix

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon bottled Italian dressing

1/2 teaspoon tarragon

Salt, pepper

1/2 green pepper, minced

1/2 cup chopped green onions, including tops

1/2 cup minced parsley

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Cook rice according to package directions. While rice is warm, add oil, vinegar, salad dressing and tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature. Add green pepper, green onions, parsley and cilantro. Chill. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

RISOTTO

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

1 quart chicken broth, preferably unsalted

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon chopped onion

1/2 pound arborio rice (1 1/4 cups)

1/8 teaspoon ground saffron

Pepper

Salt

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Soak mushrooms in water until softened. Clean well and drain. Cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces. Set aside.

Heat broth to boiling and keep hot. Melt butter in large heavy pot. Add onion and cook gently until onion is tender but not browned. Stir in rice with wooden spoon. Cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in mushrooms. Add enough broth just to cover rice. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until broth is absorbed. Add enough broth to cover rice again. Cook, stirring, until broth is absorbed. Continue in this fashion until broth is used and rice is creamy and cooked, but still slightly firm.

Stir in saffron with last addition of broth. Season to taste with pepper. Add salt, if needed. Stir in cheese and let stand until cheese is melted. Makes 6 servings.

RIKKI BHATIA’S KHEER (Indian Rice Pudding)

1/2 cup basmati rice

3/4 cup water

1 quart half and half

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds

1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts

1 teaspoon rosewater, optional

Candied rose petals, optional

Wash rice well. Soak in water to cover generously 15 minutes. Drain.

Place in saucepan, add 3/4 cup water and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook gently until rice is tender and water is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.

In large saucepan, combine half and half, sugar and cardamom seeds. Stir in rice. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, about 1 hour, stirring to prevent sticking.

Cool to room temperature. Stir in pistachios and rosewater. Chill. Decorate with candied rose petals. Makes 8 servings.

BUBOR KETAN HITAM (Indonesian Black Rice Porridge)

1 cup black glutinous rice

5 cups water, about

1/4 pound gula jawa or 1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup canned coconut milk

1/4 teaspoon salt, scant

Wash rice well, then soak in cold water 2 hours. Combine drained rice and 5 cups water in large saucepan. Add brown sugar. If using gula jawa, break into chunks. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and cook 1 hour longer, stirring often.

Mixture should have consistency of soft porridge. If too much liquid cooks away, add more water. Combine coconut milk with salt. Ladle warm porridge into individual bowls. Pass coconut milk to add to taste. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Note: Gula jawa is Indonesian coconut palm sugar.

BIBINGKANG MALAGKIT (Filipino Rice Dessert)

4 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk

2 1/2 cups glutinous rice

1/2 cup long-grain rice

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup ground peanuts or pili nuts, optional

3 eggs, beaten

Open cans of coconut milk without shaking. Spoon off thick milk that has risen to top. Measure 2 cups. Measure 4 cups remaining thinner milk. Freeze any unused coconut milk.

Mix glutinous and long-grain rice in bowl. Cover with hot water and let stand 5 minutes. Drain rice. Turn into heavy 4-quart saucepan. Mix thin coconut milk, granulated sugar and salt with rice. Bring to boil, reduce heat to very low and cook, covered, until rice is tender but not soft, about 30 minutes. Turn rice into well-greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Flatten rice and smooth top. Set aside.

Mix thick coconut milk and brown sugar in saucepan. Add vanilla and nuts. Cook and stir until sugar dissolves and syrup thickens, about 5 minutes. Gradually stir some of hot mixture into eggs, then return to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Pour topping evenly over rice.

Bake at 375 degrees 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Cut into squares to serve. Makes 16 to 20 servings.

OLD-FASHIONED AMERICAN RICE PUDDING

3/4 cup medium-grain rice

1 1/2 cups water

2 eggs

2 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted and cooled

Additional nutmeg, optional

Wash rice well and drain. Place in saucepan and add water. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is tender and water is absorbed. Cool slightly. Beat eggs. Add milk, sugar, nutmeg, vanilla and salt. Stir in rice and butter.

Turn into buttered 9-inch round cake dish. Place in baking pan and add hot water to come half way up sides. Bake at 325 degrees 45 minutes. Stir halfway through baking. Serve warm, sprinkled with additional nutmeg. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Food styling by DONNA DEANE / Los Angeles Times