What to use instead of rice
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Neutral starch that soaks up a sauce
Cooked grains take on roughly twice their weight in liquid and stay bland, which gives a strong sauce something to sit against.
QuinoaGluten-free
1 cup quinoa + 1 3/4 cups water, 15 min
Nutty and faintly bitter unless you rinse it well. The grains pop instead of clinging, so it will not hold a sauce as tightly.
BulgurRan out
1 cup bulgur + 1 1/2 cups boiling water, covered, off the heat, 20 min
Wheaty and softer, and it is ready in a third of the time. It goes mushy if it sits in sauce for long.
MilletGluten-free
1 cup millet + 2 cups water, 20 min
Fluffy and mild, close to couscous in the mouth. It sets into a solid cake once cold.
FarroRan out
1 cup farro + 3 cups water, 25 to 30 min, drained
Chewy and never fluffy, and it holds its bite in a wet dish for a long time.
What doesn't work: Instant rice in a dish that finishes on the stove with the sauce. It is precooked and dried, so it collapses to mush in about 5 minutes and its loose starch turns the sauce cloudy.
Separate dry grains for pilaf, fried rice and biryani
Long-grain varieties are high in amylose, the starch that sets firm as it cools, which is what keeps the grains from gluing to each other.
BasmatiRan out
1:1, with 10 percent less water
Longer, drier grains and a clear floral aroma. Soak it 20 minutes and it lengthens further.
JasmineRan out
1:1, with 10 percent less water
Softer and slightly sticky, so it clumps a little in a wok. Strong perfume that fights Indian spicing.
Parboiled riceRan out
1:1, plus 5 minutes
Almost impossible to overcook and the grains stay firm and slightly yellow. It never picks up sauce the way plain long-grain does.
Bulgur or quinoaRan out
1:1 for volume, but cook by their own method (1 part grain to 2 water, 12-15 min)
Both stay separate and dry. Neither browns in the wok the way day-old rice does.
What doesn't work: Short-grain or sushi rice in fried rice. Its starch is nearly all amylopectin, so the grains fuse into a single mass the moment they hit a hot wok.
Sticky grains that cling, for risotto, pudding and sushi
Short and medium grains are amylopectin-heavy, so their starch stays soft and gluey and the grains hold onto each other and onto the liquid.
Carnaroli or arborio, for risotto and puddingRan out
1:1
Carnaroli holds its centre longer and forgives an extra 2 minutes. Arborio goes from perfect to blown quickly.
Pearled barley, for a risotto-style dishRan out
1:1, plus 10 minutes
Chewier and cloudier with a clear malty flavour, and it holds its shape long after rice would have gone.
Japanese short-grain, for sushi and rice bowlsRan out
1:1
Stickiest of the lot and it holds a shaped ball. Rinse until the water runs clear or it turns pasty.
What doesn't work: Basmati in a risotto. There is too much amylose and too little free starch, so however long you stir it you end up with separate grains sitting in broth.