Grains, rice & flours · Rice

Glutinous rice

Opaque white rice that steams to a sticky, chewy mass; used for sticky rice, mochi and sweet rice dishes.

Also called: sticky rice, sweet rice, khao niao, malagkit, mochigome

A kind of rice

Photo: 국립국어원, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-2.0)

What it is

Glutinous or sweet rice contains almost no amylose, so its starch is nearly all amylopectin and the cooked grains glue together. Raw grains are chalky and opaque white rather than translucent. Despite the name it contains no gluten. It is usually soaked for several hours and steamed rather than boiled.

Oryza sativa var. glutinosa

How it’s used

Thai and Lao sticky rice eaten by hand
Mango sticky rice and other coconut desserts
Zongzi and lo mai gai wrapped in leaves
Pounded into mochi
Filipino biko and suman

Characteristics

Texture: Very sticky, dense and chewy.
Appearance: Opaque, snow-white raw grains, either short or long.
When cooked: Soak 4 hours to overnight, then steam; boiling in excess water turns it to paste.
Sold as: whole, ground
Cooking uses: Commonly cooked, Suitable for boiling
Common in: Thai, Lao, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese

Storage

Pantry-stable. Airtight in a cool, dry place like other white rice.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy-free
Egg-free
Gluten-free
Nut-free
Soy-free
Caffeine-free

Cooked rice can carry spores of Bacillus cereus that survive cooking; cool leftovers quickly (within about an hour), refrigerate, use within 1 day and reheat until steaming hot throughout. Do not keep cooked rice warm for hours.
Naturally gluten-free despite its name.