Rice is a Staple Food in the Philippines
Rice is a staple food in the Philippines. I didn’t know that until I visited the Philippines for the first time, but many Filipinos often eat rice with their meals.
This is partly because they try to save on food costs. However, we often see people eating only a few side dishes and about 1.5 to 2 cups of rice at the local restaurants called “Carinderia”.
Surprisingly, fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s and Jollibee in the Philippines also offer rice on their menu. There are many people who order rice rather than burgers. Rice is truly a beloved food in the Philippines.
Rice is sold at rice shops, grocery stores, and sari-sari stores (retail stores), and is relatively inexpensive compared to Japan at around 40-50 pesos per kilogram (about 80-100 yen).
Rice shops in the Philippines sometimes sell a very inexpensive type of rice called “Broken rice” which is sold for around 30 pesos per kilogram. Cooked rice is sold at carinderias and street vendors.
Appearance and Taste of Filipino Rice
In the Philippines, Indica rice, which is long, thin and non-sticky, is eaten, unlike Japonica rice often eaten in Japan.
It is hard to describe the taste of each rice brand in details, but when cooked, it seems to have some sweetness, aroma, and stickiness, although not as much as Japonica rice. I also have the impression that the higher the price of the rice, the more carefully it is milled. If you look at the grains of rice, you can see that they are shiny and have a clear outline.
Rice Brands in the Philippines
I would like to introduce a few Filipino rice brands that I have purchased locally because I cook for myself daily.
Ganador
Ganador is probably the most famous and sold rice everywhere in the Philippines. It is mainly produced in Nueva EcijaI of Luzon island, Philippines. As it says on the package, it is made from IR-64, the most widely grown variety of rice in the Philippines.
It is a mystery to me why there are chickens on the label, but with all due respect, every time I saw the label of Ganador, I thought they were for chicken food lol
Probably, there are fakes on the market, and the package says “NO DOUBLE THREAD GREEN & WHITE FAKE.” and if the package doesn’t have a double woven thread in green and white, it seems to be a fake.
Ivory
Ivory is a rice produced in Cagayan of northern Luzon island and, like Ganador, is sold everywhere in the Philippines, often at a slightly lower price than Ganador.
There are lions on the label, but I don’t know why. If anyone knows why, please let me know.
Doña Conchita
Doña Conchita is also often seen in the Philippines, although its packaging does not stand out when it is sold alongside Ganador and Ivory, making it seem like the third best rice. Doña Conchita is actually an imported rice produced in Vietnam. The price is about 50 pesos per kilogram (as of 2021), which is not much different from above rice brands in the Philippines.
How to Cook Indica Rice
Put rice and water into the inner pot of the rice cooker. Rinse the rice once with water and your hands. Indica rice does not need to be rinsed by changing the water several times, because it does not retain any rice bran like Japonica rice.
For every cup of rice, add about 1.25 to 1.5 times the amount of water. The amount of water needs to be adjusted as everyone has their own preference for the softness of cooked rice.
All you have to do is turn on the rice cooker. When cooking with the Philippine voltage of 220 volts, the rice will cook very quickly. It takes about 10 minutes to finish cooking rice when using a rice cooker from the Philippines. However, it depends on the amount of rice to be cooked.
In the End
In addition to the rice brands introduced in this article, various other rice brands are sold in markets and grocery stores. I will update this article when I purchase them. Thank you for reading!
