Glutinous rice, also known as jiangmi, is a rice species obtained by hulling glutinous rice, and in southern China, it is called glutinous rice, while in the north it is mostly called jiangmi. Unlike the rice we usually eat, glutinous rice has more amylopectin and less amylose in its starch, which is more viscous than other rice varieties.
According to the point of view of traditional Chinese medicine, glutinous rice is a mild tonic, which has the effects of quenching thirst, warming the stomach, replenishing deficiency, replenishing blood, stopping sweating, etc., and it is suitable for nausea, appetite reduction, diarrhea caused by spleen and stomach deficiency, as well as sweat deficiency, shortness of breath and weakness, pregnancy abdominal distension and other problems caused by qi deficiency.
Modern scientific research has shown that glutinous rice contains protein, fat, sugar, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B and starch, which can be used as a warm and strong food. However, in traditional Chinese medicine, moisturizing the lungs must be inseparable from nourishing the stomach, so the combination of lotus root and glutinous rice can enhance the effect of moisturizing dryness.
Apples and glutinous rice can enter the spleen meridian and stomach meridian, and their moisturizing effect needs to be achieved by nourishing the spleen and stomach and increasing the generation of jin liquid.
Glutinous rice is a very common staple food material, and it plays an important role in the food culture of our country. From ancient times to modern times, glutinous rice has always been regarded as a food that nourishes the stomach and spleen. Many people generally believe that glutinous rice is not easy to digest. So, is glutinous rice easy to digest?In fact, it is not that the glutinous rice itself is difficult to digest, but because of the improper cooking method and temperature.
Glutinous rice contains more "amylopectin" than "amylose" as compared to rice. Compared with amylose, amylopectin has a larger area of contact with digestive enzymes in the stomach, making it easier to digest. When glutinous rice is cooked and kept warm, the "amylopectin" gelatinizes so that it is easier for digestive enzymes to come into full contact with it, making it easier to digest. For example, the sesame paste we often eat is made from sesame seeds and glutinous rice cooked and brewed with boiling water, as long as it is eaten hot, it will rarely cause indigestion problems, and it also has the effect of nourishing the stomach.
When the glutinous rice is cooled for a period of time, the "amylopectin" in the glutinous rice will solidify and strengthen between the molecules, which makes the glutinous rice difficult to digest. For example, cold rice cakes and rice dumplings are not easily decomposed by digestive enzymes due to the coagulation of "amylopectin", which can cause indigestion.
If glutinous rice is made into a very tough food, and then mixed with additives such as oil and sugar, such as the northern hand-cranked Lantern Festival, fried sesame balls, fried cakes and zongzi eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival, these sticky foods are not easy to chew, thus hindering the full contact of digestive enzymes with it and affecting its decomposition. Especially if it is fried or contains meat filling, the fat will also coat the glutinous rice, making it more difficult for the glutinous rice to mix well with the digestive juices, further reducing the speed of its digestion.
Glutinous rice flour is a kind of food made from glutinous rice, is one of our common foods, its production process is relatively simple, the glutinous rice is soaked overnight and then ground into slurry, and then squeezed, dried and other steps to make glutinous rice flour, in the market, we can easily buy ready-made glutinous rice flour. Glutinous rice flour has a soft and elastic taste, and is often used to make a variety of sticky snacks, such as zongzi, eight-treasure porridge, rice cakes, glutinous rice cakes, glutinous rice cakes, glutinous rice balls, liquor and various desserts.
In addition to the taste advantage, glutinous rice flour also has a certain nutritional value, it is a warm food, which has a significant effect on enhancing appetite and nourishing the spleen and stomach. We still need to pay attention to controlling the amount of glutinous rice flour consumed to ensure that we enjoy its delicious taste and nutrition while avoiding excessive calorie intake.
If you want to try your hand at making Poria rice cakes, you can use a grinder to grind rice and glutinous rice into powder after soaking them overnight. Then mix the rice cereal and Poria powder evenly, and add an appropriate amount of baking powder;You can also add ingredients such as fruit or sugar to your taste, pour the rice cereal with baking powder into a container, and put it in a steamer to steam. It should be noted that in some recipes circulating on the Internet, some will add glutinous rice flour or white rice flour to increase the plasticity of the cake, no matter which material is added, we do not recommend using too much, because the texture of glutinous rice is sticky, and too much use will weaken the effect of strengthening the spleen and removing dampness.
All in all, glutinous rice flour is a common ingredient with a soft and elastic texture, and it is widely used to make a variety of sticky snacks that can not only be enjoyed deliciously, but also have a certain nutritional value. When making pastries such as Poria rice cakes, we need to use glutinous rice flour in moderation to ensure that the food has a good taste and efficacy.