What is green rice, and how much does it cost per jin?

Rice is one of the staple foods we cannot do without in life, especially for southerners; without rice, a meal has no flavor. The rice currently sold on the market comes in ordinary, organic and green varieties, and the latter two are noticeably more expensive. So what is green rice? How much does it cost per jin? And how do you identify it?

1. What is green rice?

Green rice refers to rice grown and cultivated under pollution-free conditions, fertilized with organic fertilizers, without highly toxic or high-residue pesticides, processed and produced under standard environmental, production technology and hygiene standards, and certified by an authoritative body and bearing a special label: safe, high-quality, green and nutritious rice. Green rice is produced according to a specific production method and, upon certification by the relevant national specialized body, is permitted to use the green food label; it is pollution-free, hazard-free, safe, high-quality and nutritious rice.

Green rice grains are plump, hard in texture and clear white and translucent in color; once cooked, the grains are glossy and richly fragrant; after steaming, the rice yield is high, the stickiness is relatively low and the grain texture is fairly crisp. Green rice has relatively high nutritional value, being rich in protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. The cross-section of green rice is flat and round, mostly white and translucent, with some semi-translucent and opaque grains as well.

2. How much does green rice cost per jin?

Green rice has high production requirements and a somewhat lower yield, so its price is higher than that of ordinary rice, roughly 5-30 yuan per jin; prices vary from place to place, and it is recommended that you buy it from a reputable supermarket.

3. How do you identify green rice?

1. Look at hardness: the hardness of a rice grain is mainly determined by its protein content; the harder the rice, the higher the protein content and the higher the transparency. Generally, new rice is harder than old rice, rice with low moisture is harder than rice with high moisture, and late rice is harder than early rice.

2. Look at the belly-white: rice often has an opaque white spot on its belly; when the white spot is in the center of the grain it is called “heart white,” and on the outer belly it is called “outer white.” The belly-white part has lower protein content and more starch. Grains with excessively high moisture, or paddy that was not subjected to after-ripening after harvest and was not fully mature, generally have larger belly-white areas.

3. Look at waist cracking: waist cracking is caused by rapid heating of the rice during drying; after this rapid heating, the inner and outer parts of the grain contract out of balance. Waist-cracked rice is mushy outside and undercooked inside when eaten, and its nutritional value is reduced. Therefore, when selecting rice, observe the grain surface carefully: if one or more transverse cracks appear on the grains, this indicates waist-cracked rice.

4. Look at yellow grains: grains turn yellow because certain nutrients in the rice undergo chemical reactions under specific conditions, or because of microorganisms in the grains. These yellow grains are poorer in both aroma and taste, so when buying you must check how many yellow grains there are. In addition, if the grains contain many “dead green” grains, the quality of the rice is also poorer.

5. Look at new versus old: rice ages fairly noticeably; old rice becomes darker in color, less sticky and loses its original aroma. Therefore, observe the grain color carefully: rice whose surface is grayish and powdery or has white grooved lines is old rice, and the more of it there is, the older the rice. At the same time, scoop up the rice and smell it to check whether the odor is normal; if there is a musty smell, it is old rice. Also, check whether the grains contain insect-damaged grains; if there are insect-damaged grains and insect carcasses, it is also old rice. To identify moldy rice, mainly examine aspects such as the color and odor of the rice.