How many types of Asian or Vietnamese rice are there? How is Asian rice or Vietnamese rice different from Uncle Ben? What are the different Vietnamese Rice Dishes? In fact after you review this article, you will discover three brands of Vietnamese rice and secrets that you don't want to miss…

There are many kinds of international rice. We have all sorts of Asian rice such as Japanese rice, Thai rice, Indian rice, and Vietnamese rice. You may be familiar most with Uncle Ben. However in this article, I will write mainly about Vietnamese rice which I am most familiar with. You can make your own judgment on how different is Vietnamese rice against Uncle Ben.

There are many types of rice in Vietnam including regular white rice, jasmine rice, sweet or sticky rice, and broken rice. Each has its own characteristics.

Regular white rice is eaten at every meal. Jasmine rice is more moist than the regular rice and renders a wonderfully, sweet fragrance. My husband thinks it smells like popcorn. Jasmine rice is eaten by upper class folk at every meal. Sweet or sticky rice is a steamed rice dish with different types of ingredients such as mung beans, coconuts, and sugar. Sweet or sticky rice is called xôi.  Xôi is eaten at breakfast or as dessert. Broken rice is steamed into Com Tam. Com Tam is yet another type of Vietnamese rice dish. Recipes are available in A Vietnamese Kitchen : Family Treasured Recipes.  Com Tam is commonly served at restaurants for breakfast or lunch.

Rice grain can be processed into rice flour. From rice flour, many other products such as bánh da rice paper, rice noodles, rice cakes, and many desserts are produced.

Vietnamese rice is a staple food among the Vietnamese for generations. It is served at every meal. During mealtime, rice is packed tightly in a small bowl. Other foods such as soup, stir-fry, or brined dish called kho are added on top of the bowl. Without rice, there is not enough soup, stir-fry, or kho for a large Vietnamese family. The average Vietnamese family maintains six to eight members at all time. It is not uncommon for two to three different families including the in-laws and their children living in one household. The soup, stir-fry, or kho is limited and not filling. Rice is cheap and abundant hence it acts as filler for a Vietnamese meal.

From my personal experience, I learned to appreciate rice and its value. To a child eating rice everyday was mundane. I often found plenty of excuses to avoid eating rice. As I grew older, the rice grew on me and now I am attached to it. My meal is unfulfilling when there is an absent of rice.

The number XXXX in any rice brand name refers to the year of the rice was grown. The rice farmers strive to develop and improve the rice grain's texture and fragrance. There are many types of rice. Jasmine rice is the most popular rice eaten by the Vietnamese American. My husband often jokes on the popped popcorn aroma of the jasmine rice. The Buddha, The Three Ladies, and The Flying Goose are a few name brands for jasmine rice.