Rice flour

Rice flour(alsorice powder) is a form offlourmade from finely milledrice. It is distinct fromrice starch, which is usually produced bysteepingrice inlye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening agent in recipes that are refrigerated or frozen since it inhibits liquid separation.
Rice flour may be made from eitherwhite rice,brown riceorglutinous rice. To make the flour, thehusk of riceor paddy is removed and raw rice is obtained, which is then ground to flour.
Rice flour can be made fromindica,japonica, andwild ricevarieties. Usually, rice flour (Chinese:米粉;pinyin:mǐfěn,Japanese:米粉,romanized:komeko,Korean:쌀가루,romanized:ssal-garu,Vietnamese:bột gạo,Thai:แป้งข้าวเจ้า,romanized:paeng khao chao,Lao:ແປ້ງເຂົ້າຈ້າວ,romanized:pèng khao chao,Khmer:ម្សៅអង្ករ,romanized:msau ângkâ,Burmese:ဆန်မှုန့်,romanized:hcan hmun,Malay:tepung beras,Turkish:pirinç) refers to flour made from non-glutinouswhite rice.
When made withglutinous rice(orsweet rice),it is called glutinous rice flour or sweet rice flour (Chinese:糯米粉;pinyin:nuòmǐ fěn,Japanese:白玉粉;romanized:shiratamako,Korean:찹쌀가루,romanized:chapssal-garu).In Japan, the glutinous rice flour produced from ground cooked glutinous rice, used to makemochi, is calledmochigomeko(Japanese:もち米粉, ormochikofor short).In comparison to the glutinous rice flour, non-glutinous rice flour (Chinese:粘米粉;pinyin:zhānmǐ fěn,Japanese:上新粉;romanized:jōshinko,Korean:멥쌀가루,romanized:mepssal-garu) can be specified as so.
When made withbrown ricewith only the inedible outer hull removed, it is called brown rice flour (Chinese:糙米粉;pinyin:cāomǐ fěn,Korean:현미가루,romanized:hyeonmi-garu). Flour made fromblack,red, and green rice are each called as black rice flour (Korean:흑미가루,romanized:heungmi-garu), red rice flour (Korean:홍미가루,romanized:hongmi-garu), green rice flour (Korean:녹미가루,romanized:nongmi-garu). In comparison to brown rice flour, white rice flour (Chinese:白米粉;pinyin:báimǐ fěn,Korean:백미가루,romanized:baengmi-garu) can be specified as so.
Different milling methods also produce different types of rice flour. Rice flour can be dry-milled from dry rice grains, or wet-milled from rice grains that were soaked in water prior to milling.Usually, "rice flour" refers to dry-milled rice flour (Korean:건식 쌀가루,romanized:geonsik ssal-garu), which can be stored on a shelf. InKorea, wet-milled rice flour (Korean:습식 쌀가루,romanized:seupsik ssal-garu) is made from rice that was soaked in water, drained, ground using a stone-mill, and then optionally sifted.Like moderately moist sand, wet-milled rice flour forms an easily breakable lump when squeezed with hand. It is usually stored in freezer. In thePhilippines, rice flour is not traditionally prepared dry. Rather it is made by first soaking uncookedglutinous riceovernight (usually allowing it to slightly ferment) then grinding the results (traditionally with stone mills) into a rich and smooth viscous rice dough known asgalapóng.
Rice flour can be used to makeconfectionslikerice cakes,macaroonsand some types ofbunsdue to the texture and flavor it lends the finished products. It is also used for dusting confections in a manner similar to powdered sugar.
InChina, rice flour is used to made foods likejian dui,tangyuan,nian gao,qingtuan, andyuanxiao.
InJapan, cooked glutinous rice flour, calledmochigomeko(ormochikofor short) is used to createmochi,dangoor as a thickener for sauces.Uncooked glutinous rice flourshiratamakois often used to produce confectioneries.The non-glutinous rice flourjōshinkois primarily used for creatingconfectioneries.
InKorea, rice flour made from different rice varieties and with different milling methods are used for different types oftteok(rice cakes) andhangwa(confections).Glutinous rice flourchapssal-garuis used for makingchapssal-tteok(glutinous rice cakes),gochujang(chili paste), as well asrice glueforkimchi. Non-glutinous rice flour can also be used to make porridge- or gruel-like dishes such asbeombeok,juk,mieum, anddangsu.
In thePhilippines, glutinous rice doughgalapóngis the basis for numerous types of native rice cakes and desserts (kakanin). Depending on the dish,coconut milk(gata), wood ashlye, and various other ingredients may be added to thegalapóng. Thegalapóngcan be prepared baked, steamed, boiled, or fried, resulting in dishes likeputoorbibingka.
InSouth India, rice flour is used for dishes likedosa,puttu, Chakkuligolibaje (mangalore bajji) andkori rotti. It is also mixed withwheat,millet, other cereal flours, and sometimes dried fruits or vegetables to make manni, a kind of baby food.. Rice flour is used to makebhakariin theKonkanregion in western India.
InBangladesh, rice flour is a regular ingredient. InBengaliandAssamese cuisineof eastern India, it is used in makingrotiand desserts such assandeshandpitha(rice cakes or pancakes which are sometimes steamed, deep fried or pan fried and served along with grated coconut, sesame seeds, jaggery andchashni). It is also used in makingKheer(a common dessert in Indian subcontinent).
InSri Lanka, it is used in making many household food products. It is used in making food products such aspittu, appa (hoppers),indi appa(string hoppers) and sweets such askewum,kokis,athirasaand many more. Also it can be used in making bread and other bakery products.
InNepal,Newarsuse rice flour to makeyomariandchataamari.Sel rotiis another popular rice flour based food commonly eaten in Nepal and in theSikkimandDarjeelingregions ofIndia. Sel roti is known as Shinghal inKumaon.
Rice flour is also used in theCentral Americandishpupusasas a substitute for regular flour.
Rice flour is used in thecosmeticsindustry.
Brown rice flour can be combined withvermiculitefor use as a substrate for the cultivation of mushrooms. Hard cakes of colonised substrate can then be fruited in a humid container. This method is often (though not always) employed by growers of edible mushrooms, as it is a very simple and low-cost method of growing mushrooms.