Organic Rice by Dainty, The Rice Company
Dainty, the Canadian rice company, released their first-ever line of organic rice this past summer. 100% natural, non-GMO and gluten-free, their organic line comes in three flavours: Basmati, Jasmine, and a Brown & Wild blend.
Formerly Mount Royal Rice Mills, Dainty started in 1882 on Montreal’s Lachine canal. They have since moved to Windsor, where they have the distinction of being the only rice mill in the area. Dainty The Rice Company remains connected to their origins. They collaborated with Montreal-based chef Jonathan Cheung to create rice-based recipes for both their new line of organic rice and their other products. All their recipes are rice cooker friendly as well.
The Organic Rice line comes in recyclable, resealable packaging. The bags are made of high density polyethylene, which is the most commonly recycled and reused plastic in Canada. It is worth highlighting their recyclable packaging because they’ve “spent years trying to find truly recyclable packaging,” and they’re “proud of this ‘green’ result.” In fact, the bags are, indeed, green. They’re easy to open and close, with easy to read and follow directions clearly indicated on the back.
We got our hands on the Organic Rice by Dainty, and tested them out to see if they live up to the “organic” hype.
Basmati
Sourced from the Himalayan foothills bordering Pakistan and India, Basmati has slender grains longer than the typical white rice you’d buy at the grocery store (but shorter than the Jasmine). It took about 12 – 20 minutes to cook it up, with minimal intervention needed during the cook time. It has a rich, almost buttery pasta smell in the pot. Without anything on it, it tastes like white rice with butter, even if you don’t add butter to it. Its soft, neutral flavours that absorb flavours from sauces and any other ingredients you add. Sold in 430g packages.
Brown & Wild Blend
The wild rice is grown in freshwater in the northern regions of North American along the Canada/US border. It’s a pseudo-grain – an aquatic grass plant that creates a nutritious whole grain. Sourced from the Mississippi delta or California, the brown rice is a long grain rice that retains it bran layer (which is what makes it a whole grain as well).
Visually, the organic brown and wild blend is stunning; the light and dark browns give that added flare to your plating that you just can’t get from white rice. It takes the longest to cook out of the three “flavours” – running about 40 minutes from start to finish with minimal intervention during the cooking process. It smells like whole wheat in the pot and has a ton of flavour. Chewy, with good consistency, it gives an almost rye bread like impression. This makes a good side dish on its own or base for a spicy protein (chicken wings or thighs come to mind). Sold in 410g packages.
Jasmine
Sourced from South East Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos), Jasmine rice is long, slender and very pretty. It cooks in about 20 minutes and is pretty much what you expect white rice to be. Subtle aromas with an almost floral hint play in the pot. Soft, slightly sweet rice flavours make it great for any rice dish, really. If you especially love the classic rice experience, this should be your go-to. Sold in 460g packages.