Editorial · May 19, 2021
Rice Buying Guide: ST25, Jasmine and Sticky Rice Compared
This rice buying guide helps you pick between ST25, jasmine and sticky rice. The short answer: buy jasmine or ST25 for everyday meals, sticky rice for xoi and sweets, and read the bag for origin, harvest and milling details.
How the three types differ
Rice differs most in grain length, aroma and stickiness. Long-grain rice usually cooks dry and fluffy. Short-grain rice is rounder and clings together.
Jasmine rice is a long-grain, fragrant rice. It cooks soft and a little moist, and the grains cling a bit. It is stickier than plain long-grain rice, but much less sticky than sticky rice. Its scent comes mainly from a compound called 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, often compared to pandan leaf.
ST25 is a rice name you may see on Vietnamese bags. A name alone proves little, so the label matters more than the name. Check the origin and harvest date on any bag sold as ST25, and ask the seller how it cooks.
Sticky rice is also called glutinous rice. The word does not mean it has gluten. Rice has none. It means glue-like. Sticky rice has almost no amylose and is nearly all amylopectin, the starch that makes grains stick. Regular rice has about 10 to 30 percent amylose.
Which rice for which dish
- Steamed rice with fish, braised pork or soup: jasmine or ST25.
- Fried rice: day-old jasmine, cooked a little drier.
- Xoi, banh chung and banh tet: sticky rice only. Other rice will not hold together.
- Rice paper, noodles and porridge: ask the seller. Some bags are meant for these.
Cooking tips are simple. Rinse the rice until the water runs less cloudy. Use a little less water for fried rice or soup. Soak sticky rice for several hours, then steam it. Soaking and steaming is the usual way to cook it.
How to read the label
A good label tells you five things. Check each one.
- Variety name, such as ST25, jasmine or sticky rice.
- Place of origin, such as the province or the region.
- Harvest or packing date.
- Milling type: white, or brown with the bran left on.
- Seller name, address and a phone number you can call.
If a bag lists only a fancy brand name and no origin or date, ask for more detail. If the seller cannot give it, buy somewhere else.
Why harvest date matters
Fragrant rice loses its scent over time. That is why many buyers like the new crop. Check the date and choose the newest bag you can find, especially for jasmine and ST25. Sticky rice cooks best when it is fresh too.
Rice is best bought in amounts you can finish in a few weeks. Old rice smells flat.
White rice or brown rice
Brown rice has only the inedible husk removed. Further milling removes the bran and germ, which makes the grain whiter. Brown rice has a chewier bite and takes longer to cook. White rice cooks faster and looks cleaner. Choose by taste and cooking time. Both are fine.
Look for whole grains. Many broken pieces mean the rice was milled hard or handled roughly. Broken pieces are not unsafe, only a sign of how the rice was handled.
A short shopping checklist
- Pick the dish first, then the rice type.
- Read the variety, origin and harvest date.
- Look at the grains: even size, few broken pieces, no dust.
- Smell the bag if the seller allows it. Fragrant rice should smell clean, not musty.
- Buy a small bag first. Cook it. Then buy more if you like it.
- Store it dry, in a closed container, away from heat.
A common mistake is to buy the dearest bag and assume it suits every dish. A scented rice is wasted in a strong curry, and a plain rice can feel dull with a light soup. Match the rice to the meal, and keep a small bag of sticky rice at home for weekend cooking. That way each type is used while it is fresh.
Prices change from shop to shop and season to season, so compare two or three sellers by price per kilogram rather than by bag.
General information on food shopping, not medical advice.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmine_rice
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutinous_rice
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