Rice flour

A box of sweet rice flour

Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye.

Rice flour may be made from either white rice or brown rice. To make the flour, the husk of rice or paddy is removed and raw rice is obtained. The raw rice is then ground to flour. Rice flour is a particularly good substitute for wheat flour, which causes irritation in the digestive systems of those who are gluten-intolerant. Rice flour is also used as a thickening agent in recipes that are refrigerated or frozen since it inhibits liquid separation.

In Japanese, rice flour is called either komeko or mochiko.^[1]

Mochiko (sweet rice flour) is made from sweet rice, also known as glutinous rice. Despite its name, this rice has no gluten. It is called mifen (Chinese: 米粉; pinyin: mǐ fěn) in Chinese, galapong in Ilokano/Filipino and pirinç unu in Turkish. The flour is principally starch, plus a small amount of protein. The starch is waxy and makes an excellent gel.

mochi

Uses

Many dishes are made from rice flour, including rice noodles and desserts like Japanese mochi and Filipino cascaron. Rice flour is used in making General Tso's chicken, neer dosa, golibaje (Mangalore bajji), mantou, and rotti. The flour is mixed with flour of wheat, millet, and other cereals to make manni, a kind of baby food.^{[citation needed]} Sometimes cut dried fruits or dried vegetables are added for flavour and more nutrients. This is commonly used in the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi of Karnataka, India. It is a regular ingredient in Bangladeshi cuisine and is used in many rotis and desserts such as shondesh and bhapa phitha (steamed rice cakes).

Japanese rice bread

Rice flour is also used as a substitute for traditional wheat-based flours for those who are unable to consume Gluten, a natural component from wheat-based flours.

Mushroom cultivation

Brown rice flour can be combined with vermiculite for 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 psilocybin mushrooms, as it is a very simple and low-cost method of growing mushrooms.^[2]

Notes

1. ^ "Mochiko definition, epicurious.com food dictionary". Epicurious.com. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
2. ^ "grow box mushrooms " Fungifun.org. Archive of original material from 25-02-2003, retrieved 24-02-2010 (author's website unavailable)

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