Rice is the best cereal crop in terms of food energy per production area and is consumed in various forms. However, most consumption of rice is as cooked rice. Rice as a comfort food is economical, delicious, nutritious, versatile, easy to prepare, and bland enough to pair with other foods.

Quick Cooking Rice- It is an instant rice which cooks faster than the normal rice. The product is popular in developed countries, such as Japan, United States, and other Western countries and is yet to hit as a popular product in the Indian market.

Technically speaking : Quick-cooking rice is precooked rice where gelatinization of rice starch occurs in water and/or steam by cooking at specific time-temperature-pressure combination and then dried. {Gelatinization – It is a process that refers to the condition of rice after it has been treated at a certain temperature in a sufficient amount of moisture such that starchy component of rice is softened, structurally broken down and converted in such a manner that rice swells in hot water}

Completely precooked rice requires no further cooking. However, quick-cooking rice often requires five to fifteen minutes for cooking in hot (not boiling water) to be suitable for consumption. The rice produced by this method is very high in nutrients because very little removal of starch or other nutrients occur with minimal water fouling.

Thought:- Why Quick cooking rice ?There could me many reasons for why people over the world are switching

to Quick cooking rice.

1. Modern and busy life styles2. Takes less time to cook.3. More healthier than normal cooked rice.4. Save time and energy at home. 5. Completely precooked rice requires no further cooking.

The preparation of Quick Cooking Rice involves the following steps –

a) Soaking : Raw rice is soaked in water at a room temperature for 15 minutes. The soaked rive moisture will reach 4-8% depending upon the variety used.

b) Steeping :The soaked rice are steeped in boiling water for 5 min so that moisture reaches to 55-60%. Rice and water is taken in the ratio 1:10.After draining the water, the rice is dried in atmospheric air for 5-10 min so that moisture is decreased to 50%.

c) Drying : The above heat processed rice is spread on an aluminium sheet and kept inside the hot air oven. Drying is carried out at 105 degrees for one hour.

The process involves preheating of rice with water and steam so that rice is completely gelatinization and has a final moisture content 70%. Such gelatinization is accomplished by spraying the rice alternatively and progressively with water and steam. The gelatinized rice the without stirring is dried to final moisture content of 10 -14%.

Soak Rice (Cooking at substantially atmospheric pressure ) Water required at least sufficient to hydrate the rice. For 10 mins

Water cooked rice (Moisture content-60% by weight) Cooking of rice in hot water For 15 mins

Steam Cooked Rice (Moisture content-75% by weight)

Steam pressurized cooking in water/ gelatinization of starch

Agitation/ 250 -2500 mm Hg pressure above atm. Pressure

Gradual release of pressure to avoid over puffing.

Rice is 85% to 100% gelatinized.

Drying (At temperature of 140-205 deg C)

QUICK COOKING RICE