Rice has numerous variants, and there’s never a shortage of options for people who are looking for something tastier, healthier, and maybe more exotic, such as bamboo rice.
Before you try and make bamboo rice fit into your diet, you’ll want to know bamboo rice as well as possible first. What exactly is bamboo rice? Here’s what I found!
What Is Bamboo Rice?
Unlike most rice variants, bamboo rice isn’t a grain. Instead, bamboo rice is the seed of a dying bamboo shoot. Additionally, bamboo rice resembles paddy rice and has a sweet, wheat taste. Nevertheless, there’s also white rice that is cooked with bamboo juice, and it is called bamboo rice as well.
In case you’re interested to learn more about the origins of bamboo rice and how bamboo rice differs from white rice, brown rice, and forbidden rice, keep reading!
What Is The Origin Of Bamboo Rice?
It is believed that bamboo rice originated from indigenous tribes in Asia that cooked the seeds of dying bamboo shoots.
Today, bamboo rice is still harvested by indigenous people in places like the Wayanad Sanctuary in Kerala, England, through which they can make a lot of money.
As for bamboo rice, which is simply white rice flavored with bamboo juice and cooked in bamboo shoots, bamboo rice is believed to be a product of the mountain people in Thailand.
Since the mountain people needed a convenient means to cook and carry rice with them, they resorted to preparing white rice in bamboo shoots.
How Is Bamboo Rice Made?
Bamboo rice is made when a dying bamboo shoot blossoms and releases seeds. Since bamboo takes a long time to grow and die, bamboo rice is considered an exotic commodity.
Meanwhile, preparing white rice in bamboo requires soaking the white rice in water overnight and draining the rice right before cooking bamboo rice.
Next, line a bamboo with a banana leaf and stuff the bamboo with the pre-soaked rice. After closing the ends of the bamboo, char grill the bamboo on medium heat.
After around ten minutes, extract the rice and get rid of the banana leaf and the bamboo.
For a more authentic bamboo-tasting rice, you can use rice that has been infused with bamboo juice during the milling process and cook the rice in a bamboo shoot.
What Does Bamboo Rice Taste Like?
Bamboo rice that is made from bamboo seeds has a similar taste to paddy rice except that bamboo rice has strong wheat undertones.
Additionally, bamboo rice tends to be moist and a little sticky once cooked. Nevertheless, bamboo rice is mostly chewy and has a texture resembling brown rice.
In contrast, white rice infused with bamboo juice has a subtle aroma and taste that is reminiscent of jasmine tea and a texture that is sticky and chewy like sushi rice.
How Do You Eat Bamboo Rice?
Bamboo rice can be eaten just like any other rice. While bamboo rice has a richer flavor than regular rice, bamboo rice is bland enough to complement a wide assortment of dishes.
You can serve bamboo rice as sushi or as a component to dishes that have plenty of vegetables, meat, and fish.
Additionally, you can use bamboo rice to create traditional rice-based desserts like the Thai mango sticky rice dessert.
What Is The Use Of Bamboo Rice?
Since bamboo rice is packed with nutrients, bamboo rice is considered a healthy alternative to the regular white rice that most people eat.
Furthermore, bamboo rice is naturally sticky, which means bamboo rice has the ideal consistency to make a lot of traditional Asian desserts and rice-based dishes.
What Color Is Bamboo Rice?
Bamboo rice that comes from a dying bamboo has a bright green color when raw and a light brown color once cooked. In some instances, bamboo rice can appear yellowish too.
Meanwhile, bamboo rice that is made of white rice and bamboo juice turns out a pale shade of green once cooked.
Is Bamboo Rice A Grain?
There are two types of bamboo rice, one made from bamboo seeds and the other made from short-grain rice.
Technically, bamboo rice made from bamboo seeds is not considered a grain. Naturally, bamboo rice made of short-grain rice counts as a grain.
Is Bamboo Rice Keto?
Bamboo rice isn’t considered keto because it is high in carbohydrates. A single cup of bamboo rice has around 34 grams of carbs and isn’t good for a ketogenic diet.
Is Bamboo Rice A Carb?
Most of the calories in bamboo rice come from carbohydrates, making bamboo rice a high-carb food and ideal for an energy boost, but not for weight loss.
Is Bamboo Rice Good For You?
Whether or not bamboo rice is good for you depends largely on your dietary needs and lifestyle.
Compared to white rice, bamboo rice made from bamboo seeds is more nutrient-dense, and you can cook bamboo rice the same way you cook regular rice.
Similarly, bamboo rice that is artificially flavored using bamboo juice can have health benefits, but not as much as real bamboo rice.
Does Bamboo Rice Have Gluten?
Bamboo rice, both the one made from seeds and the one made from short-grain rice, is considered gluten-free.
How Many Calories Does Bamboo Rice Have?
Typically, a cup of bamboo rice has around 160 calories.
What Is The Difference Between Bamboo Rice And Forbidden Rice?
Bamboo rice comes from the seed of dying bamboo while forbidden rice is a grain that is harvested from a rice paddy.
Additionally, bamboo rice has a milder flavor than black rice, which has a nutty aroma and an earthy taste.
Moreover, bamboo rice appears either a light shade of brown or green once cooked, and forbidden rice appears either pure black or a dark shade of purple.
Take a look at our other articles to discover what Calrose rice is, what yellow rice is, and what Mexican rice is.
Conclusion
Bamboo rice comes in two forms: first, as the seeds of a dying bamboo, and second as short-grain rice flavored with bamboo juice.
However, it is bamboo seeds that are considered the real bamboo rice, even though bamboo seeds are technically not a grain.
Nonetheless, just like unpolished rice variants, bamboo rice is chewy and has a sweeter taste than regular white rice.
Additionally, bamboo rice is green when raw and turns a light shade of brown or yellow once cooked. However, flavored bamboo rice turns a pale green after cooking.