Rice to the challenge

Around 80% of households regularly eat rice, and rice consumption in the UK grew 16% from 1996 to 2001, according to Mintel. But many caterers are missing out. "It's time for caterers to stop thinking that rice is rice and move in time with consumers," says Mark Lyddy, national account controller for Tilda. "So many caterers still think rice means American long-grain and little else, but the market is much more sophisticated now."

While American long-grain easy-cook rice remains Tilda's best seller in food service, sales have actually declined in retail as the consumer becomes more educated about the choices on offer. Basmati, considered a speciality rice five years ago, is now Tilda's biggest seller by value in retail. The growing influence of ethnic foods and ethnic groups is a major factor, as well as the opening-up of long-haul travel. "The proliferation of food programmes has also opened the consumer to new ideas," says Lyddy. "If Delia says use a brown basmati, people do."

So why is the consumer's appetite for choice not being satisfied by caterers? Lyddy believes it's partly apathy, partly fear of trying something new, and partly price. "Basmati or another speciality rice can look expensive compared with American long-grain, but it isn't if you compare it with another carbohydrate such as pasta or jacket potatoes," Lyddy says. (A portion size of American long-grain costs about 8-9p compared with 12-13p for basmati.)

There's also little reason to be afraid of getting the cooking wrong, in Lyddy's view. Tilda, among others such as Tolly Boy and Uncle Ben's, has an easy-cook basmati on offer which makes the end result more predictable. "Basmati is the obvious choice for Indian cuisine but it looks and tastes better for almost everything else too," Lyddy says.

Gavin Bowie, sales and marketing director at Westmill Foods, agrees with Lyddy that caterers are missing an opportunity in not serving speciality rices: "There's an opportunity here to introduce consumers to a variety of rices that they would not normally purchase. This allows the caterer to offer a higher perceived value by matching the dish with the correct rice."

In addition to basmati, other speciality rices are also gaining ground. Thai jasmine rice is starting to come into its own, boosted by the increasing popularity of Thai and other Pacific Rim cuisines. And arborio rice is becoming popular in the independent and hotel sector as risotto proves itself a trendy dish. "Risotto is not an easy dish to make, but we try to help caterers learn to prepare it in advance," Lyddy explains.

The Ente Nazionale Risi (ENR) - Italian Rice Council, a branch of the Italian Trade Commission - has been challenging British chefs to revisit risotto, calling it the natural successor to pasta and pizza. As part of a year-long campaign to raise risotto's profile, the ENR has highlighted its versatility by publishing a booklet of 12 new recipes by TV cook and food writer Valentina Harris, author of Risotto, Risotto. She also includes the secret of "real-fast" risotto. A technique developed by Italian chefs, this parcooks the rice before service, cools it, then finishes it off to order once service is up and running. Since the time required to prepare a traditional risotto is often given as the main reason for keeping it off the menu, this trade secret - it takes around 10 minutes to finish the rice off during service - is invaluable.

By contrast, brown rice remains a niche, Lyddy says, and demand has declined slightly since its heyday of the late 1970s and 1980s.

Still, long-grain remains a firm favourite, according to John Whitelock, UK sales manager for MasterFoodServices, who says its best-selling food service rice is still Uncle Ben's Long Grain. The company has also launched Uncle Ben's Best Ever Rice, an ambient rice which cooks in half the time of existing Uncle Ben's. "Long-grain rice still dominates rice sales within food service" he says. "As to how quickly this will change, I think the ambient and frozen rice sectors will develop differently. Ambient rice still dominates food service, especially in the cost sector, where the quantities used are large and price is very important. Long-grain will continue to lead the ambient sector for the foreseeable future."

But within the frozen rice sector, caterers are turning to speciality and flavoured rices in increasing quantities, Whitelock says. "Uncle Ben's frozen rices are available in single-portion sachets which can be microwaved in one minute."

Rice is not just rice

\* American long-grain, the caterer's staple rice, comes in four ways:

Regular long-grain white rice is milled to remove the husk and bran layer and on cooking, the grains separate to give a fluffy effect.

Regular brown long-grain rice (wholegrain rice) undergoes only minimal milling, removing the husk but retaining the bran layer.

Easy-cook (parboiled) long-grain white or brown rices are more suited for the novice cook. Steaming the rice under pressure before milling gelatinises the grain's starch, which reduces the possibility of overcooking and gives an extra-fluffy cooked grain. The steaming also helps to retain much of the natural vitamin and mineral content present in the milled layers.

Wild rice is available on its own or as mixed blend with other long-grain rices. The seed of a special type of grass grown in the swamps of North America, it is not a true rice but an aquatic grass grown in the USA.

Long-grain uses: curries, rice salad mixes, stroganoff, Chinese, Mexican.

* Thai fragrant rice: Ideal complement to Thai dishes. The grains are firm in texture and slightly sticky and are therefore easy to pick up with chopsticks. Uses: Thai and green curries.

* Basmati rice: The aromatic complement to spicy food, basmati has a super kernel and a slender, long grain - the longer and thinner, the better the quality. It is aged for about 12 months for the flavours and aromas to develop. Uses: Indian curries, rice-based desserts.

* Pudding rice: Short, tubby and chalky in appearance. When cooked the grains tend to hold together. Uses: Puddings and sweets.

* Arborio rice: Has a very short grain and produces a sticky, smooth and creamy mass. Uses: Risottos.

* Camargue red rice: Originating from France, it has a short grain and is slightly brownish in texture. Uses: Salads as well as ideal to mix with long-grain to add colour.

* Black rice: Purplish in colour, used for sweets.

Source: Westmill Foods, USA Rice Federation

Tips for top rice

• Remember that all rice expands to twice the original size when cooked.
• It doesn't need to be soaked before cooking because the starch released during cooking will make the rice coagulate.
• If a fluffy texture is required, the rice may need to be washed after cooking. Long-grain rice should become fluffy when cooked. It's not necessary these days to wash rice before cooking it.
• Rice cooked in Indian restaurants is soaked for a long time to expand the grain, so the rice is able to withstand prolonged cooking.
• The best utensil to cook rice in is a large, shallow frying pan with a lid. Do not use a wooden spoon, as this tends to break up the rice.
• Always add salt to the water.
• Try coating the rice in a little oil, to prevent it from sticking together.
• Measure rice by volume and not weight, ie, in a measuring jug.

Source: Westmill Foods

Contacts

M&J Seafoods
01296 588260
MasterFoodServices
0800 952 0011
Tilda
0116 238 8166
Tolly Boy - Westmill Foods 01279 715295.
USA Rice Federation 020 8767 7818
Italian Trade Commission 020 7734 2412

Did you know?

Sushi was known as funazushi when rice was put inside gutted fish to preserve them. Later this rice was eaten as well as the fish rather than thrown away (for economic reasons), which eventually led to an improvement in the pickling. In the 1600s, vinegar was added, but it wasn't until 1824 that Hanaya Yohei used raw fish as toppings.

M&J Seafoods recently launched a Japanese range to take advantage of the growing interest in sushi. Its Sushi Rice Nuggets, or Shari Dama, are precooked, frozen and seasoned with rice wine vinegar. Sushi Toppings and Sushi Rice Nuggets along with Wasabi Paste, Soy Sauce and Pink Ginger enable chefs to create Japanese sushi. Toppings include Octopus, Rainbow Trout and Black Tiger King Prawn.