Glutinous (sticky) rice
Oryza sativa var. glutinosa · Grain
Top 10 pairings
Glutinous rice — also called sticky, sweet or waxy rice — is a cultivar of Oryza sativa whose starch is almost entirely amylopectin, so the cooked grains turn soft, translucent and intensely sticky, clumping together into a chewy mass. Despite the name it contains no gluten; "glutinous" simply means glue-like.
Picking a good onedrag
Sound dry grain, fragrant or cleanly neutralRancid crayon, or holed and webbed
Pantry standardEveryday bestRice takes up arsenic you can't see. Rinse it, cook it in plenty of water, then drain.
Smell at the open bagAlmost nothing, as white rice is
White or brown, whole or milledBrown, red or black: buy small
The grains themselvesA few chalky grains, broken tips
A handful through your fingersA little starchy powder, normal
These cues are Rice's, and hold across its varieties; where this one differs, its own page says so.