What is Rice Flour?
Rice flour has been used historically in baby foods and a few inter-generational favorites, such as Rice Krispies™. Rice flour is milder, lighter and easier to digest than wheat flour and is a great substitute for people who are gluten intolerant.
Rice flour is a staple in India, Japan, Southeast Asia and Thailand. It is mainly used for making noodles, desserts and sweets. It is also an excellent thickener for sauces, custards and gravies.
In the 1980’s, the Western world discovered the value of rice flour and the usage in new applications began growing dramatically. Barley, spelt, potato and millet flours have also become popular, each with their unique advantages. However, rice flour seems to be less intrusive to the taste, easier on the digestion, while maintaining compatibility with wheat flour recipes.
Manufacturers are switching to rice flour in cereals, chips, crackers and snacks. Cooks and chefs are discovering the lightness of the quality of their creations when replacing wheat flour with rice flour. Using rice flour as a coating batter has become the key to many chicken, fish and vegetable signature dishes.
Several varieties of rice’s are used to accomplish specific textures and densities in traditional recipes. Long grain rice is the standard when using rice flour. Panko dishes have been reinvented using this new trend. The batter can be prepared in a variety of densities, depending on the type of rice flour used, then deep-fried, sautéed or baked.
Medium grain rice flour can be used in recipes requiring a lighter texture or puffier expansion than standard rice flour. It works better when using as a thickener. The lightest textured rice flour comes from waxy rice. This refined choice also has greater expansion when puffed. It remains stable when frozen and is an excellent replacement for cornstarch.
Mochi is a famous Japanese favorite made from mochiko (finely milled rice flour). It uses short-grained, sweet, glutinous rice. It is very high in starch and makes excellent rice cakes. Favorite rice flour dishes from India include idli, neer dosa and the delicious gulab jamin!
Rice flour continues to be prepared traditionally, regardless of the final application. The husk is removed, and then the raw rice is ground into a fine powder. Though it is more refined, the quantity used in recipes remains consistent with other flours.
Written by KD Morgan
