Cooked rice facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cooked rice

A bowl of cooked white rice
Main ingredients	rice, water
Food energy (per 1 serving)	85 kcal (356 kJ)
Similar dishes	bap, biryani, risotto

Cooked rice is simply rice that has been prepared. You can cook rice by steaming it or by boiling it in water. That's why it's also often called steamed rice or boiled rice.

Many different types of rice can be cooked. This includes Asian rice (like Indica and Japonica kinds), African rice, or even wild rice. Rice can be sticky or not sticky, and come in long, medium, or short grains. It can also be any color! You can cook brown rice (which is whole grain) or white rice (which has been milled).

Cooked rice is a super important food all over the world. It's a staple food in many countries, especially in Asia and Latin America. In fact, it's one of the most eaten foods globally! The U.S. Department of Agriculture says rice is part of the grains food group. Eating cooked white rice gives you good nutrients like zinc and manganese.

How to Cook Rice

Boiled white Japonica rice in a gamasot, a traditional Korean pot.

A close-up of steamed Thai sticky rice in a traditional Lao rice steamer.

Before cooking, people often rinse rice with water. Sometimes, they also soak it for a while. Brown rice usually needs to soak longer than white rice.

The amount of water you add depends on the rice. Often, you use twice as much water as rice. Newer rice might need less water. Softer types of rice need more water than firmer ones.

You can boil rice in a heavy pot or steam it in a food steamer. Some ways of boiling don't need exact water amounts. You just boil the rice and then drain the extra water. This works well for rice that isn't very sticky, like basmati rice. But it's not good for sticky rice, like japonica rice.

You can add a little salt to the water before cooking if you like. If you're not draining the water, you usually cook rice on high heat until it boils. Then, you turn the heat down, put a lid on, and let it simmer. The rice finishes cooking with the steam inside the pot. Today, many people use electric rice cookers to make it easy! When rice cooks, it soaks up water and gets bigger and heavier.

Delicious Rice Dishes

In East Asia, people often serve cooked rice in small bowls for each person. Then, they add food from shared dishes on top of their rice.

Cooked rice is a main ingredient in so many yummy meals! Leftover steamed rice is great for making porridge or fried rice dishes. Here are some popular dishes that use cooked rice:

Fried Rice Dishes

These dishes mix cooked rice with other ingredients like vegetables, meat, and sauces, then fry them.

• Arroz chaufa
• Bokkeum-bap (Korean fried rice)
  • Kimchi fried rice
• Chāhan (Japanese fried rice)
  • Omurice (omelette rice)
• Chinese fried rice
  • Hokkien fried rice
  • Yangzhou fried rice
  • Yin yang fried rice
• Nasi goreng (Indonesian/Malaysian fried rice)
  • Nasi goreng jawa
  • Nasi goreng pattaya
• Omelette rice
• Thai fried rice
  • American fried rice

Rice Bowls and Plates

These are meals where cooked rice forms the base, with other foods served on top.

• Bibimbap (Korean mixed rice)
  • Hoe-deopbap
• Chazuke (Japanese rice with tea)
• Dal bhat (Lentils and rice)
• Donburi (Japanese rice bowl dishes)
  • Chūkadon
  • Gyūdon (beef bowl)
  • Katsudon (pork cutlet bowl)
  • Oyakodon (chicken and egg bowl)
  • Unadon (eel bowl)
  • Tekkadon
• Hainanese chicken rice
• Loco moco
• Panta bhat
• Red beans and rice
• Rice and beans
• Rice and curry
• Rice and gravy
• Tumpeng

Rice Porridges

These are creamy, soft dishes made by cooking rice with a lot of liquid.

• Congee
• Juk

Rice Balls and Rolls

Cooked rice is shaped into balls or rolls, often with fillings.

• Gimbap (Korean rice rolls)
• Jumeok-bap
• Lemper
• Onigiri (Japanese rice balls)
• Rice ball salads
  • Nam khao
  • Yam naem
• Sushi (Japanese rice with seafood/vegetables)
  • B.C. roll
  • California roll
  • Dynamite roll
  • Philadelphia roll
  • Seattle roll
  • Spider roll
• Zongzi

Rice Cakes and Desserts

Sweet treats and cakes made from cooked rice.

• Mochi (Japanese rice cakes)
• Tteok (Korean rice cakes)
• Yaksik
• Yeot
• Uli/Ulen
• Ketan Duren
• Ketan Susu

Rice in Drinks

Rice is not just for eating! It's also used to make different kinds of drinks.

Alcoholic Drinks

• Amazake
• Awamori
• Cheongju
  • Beopju
• Choujiu
• Gamju
• Hariya
• Huangjiu
  • Mijiu
  • Shaoxing wine
• Lao-Lao
• Makgeolli
• Rượu cần
• Sake (a famous Japanese alcoholic drink)
• Sato
• Shōchū
• Soju
• Sonti

Non-alcoholic Drinks

• Sikhye

Types of Cooked Rice

The most common type is plain, steamed white rice. But there are many other kinds, often cooked in special ways.

• Japonica rice
• Thai steamed rice
• Sticky rice
• Sushi rice (cooked with Japanese rice vinegar and sugar)
• Basmati rice

Images for kids

• 

  A dish of keema served with cooked rice in Karachi, Pakistan.

• 

  A cooked rice cake.

• 

  Boiled rice.

• 

  A Japanese bamboo glutinous rice steamer.

• 

  A modern rice cooker.

• 

  Non-glutenous cooked black rice.

• 

  Rice served with vegetables and curries in Assam, India.

See also

In Spanish: Arroz blanco (gastronomía) para niños