Rice flour and glutinous rice flour are often mistaken for each other by many people. It could be due to similarities in the names of the ingredients, leading to an incorrect assumption about the ingredients. We’ll go over each type of flour, how they’re used in cooking, and when each can be substituted when you’re running low. Also, I’m sharing some of my favorite recipes from this blog using these flours to help you get acquainted with rice flour and glutinous rice flour.
What is rice flour?
Rice flour is produced by milling long or medium grain rice. It is frequently used in Asian cooking due to its thickening properties and ability to add chewy and stretchy textures to various dishes. In addition, rice flour does not contain gluten, making it soft and elastic.
There are two types of rice flour, brown and rice. Brown rice flour is milled from whole grain rice. Meanwhile, white rice flour is made from ground white rice that contains no bran. Brown rice flour has a nutty, slightly sweet flavor, whereas white rice flour is flavorless.
Common rice flour uses
Rice flour is commonly used in Asian recipes to make rice cakes, noodles, pancakes, rice crepes, pastries, and many other dishes. Because of its flavor, brown rice flour is an excellent choice for baking sweets like cookies and cakes. It’s also a good gluten-free option for baked goods because it helps balance out the density. Brown rice flour can also be used as a thickener for soups and stews.
Meanwhile, white rice flour is ideal for making light batters. Since it has no flavor, it is best used to make tempura and noodles as it won’t affect the dish’s flavor. Popular rice flour recipes include bánh gio (Vietnamese rice and pork dumplings), bánh kẹp lá dứa (pandan waffle), and takoyaki (Japanese octopus balls).
What is glutinous rice flour?
Milling dehydrated long and short-grained rice produces glutinous rice flour, also known as sweet rice flour. Many people believe it contains gluten, but it does not. It’s also not sweet, but rather flavorless, similar to rice flour. Finally, it has some stretch and a sticky, chewy texture.
Many sweet rice flour varieties can be found in Asian cuisines, such as mochigome, chapssal, and malagkit. Mochiko and shiratamako are sweet rice flours made from cooked mochigome that are commonly found in Asian grocery stores.
What is glutinous rice flour used for
Glutinous rice flour is frequently used in Asian cuisine, particularly in desserts. Because of its chewy texture, it is used to make boba pearls and mochi. When it comes to baking, it is used more like a starch, allowing baked foods to retain moisture. Mochi donuts, ginataan bilo-bilo (rice balls, sweet potato, and coconut dessert), and sesame balls are among popular recipes that use glutinous rice flour.
Sweet rice flour is also used to make savory dishes such as chewy noodles and dumplings. It can also be used to prepare batter for deep frying, but make sure to use sweet rice flour made from long-grain rice because it produces a crispier surface when deep-fried. Furthermore, like rice flour, it can be used as a thickening ingredient in sauces.
Source: internet