How Rice Flour Differs From Glutinous Rice Flour

Rice flour is milled flour made by grinding the inner kernels of brown and white long-grain rice. Rice flour is gluten-free, and lends a slightly chewy, stretchy texture to various dishes, and is a staple ingredient in Asian cuisine. There are two main types of rice flour: white and brown. White rice flour is ideal for light batters, like tempura or snappy noodles, and is a staple in gluten-free baking. Alternatively, brown rice flour works well as a thickener for soups and stews and as a gluten-free alternative for baked goods combined with lighter flours to balance its density.

Glutinous rice flour is milled flour made by grinding cooked and dehydrated kernels of long or short-grain glutinous rice (Oryza sativa glutinosa). Glutinous rice, also known as sticky rice or sweet rice, refers to any type of rice high in amylopectin starch and low in amylose starch. Mochiko and shiratamako are common glutinous rice flours made from cooked mochigome that you can typically find in most Asian grocery stores. You can find many examples of glutinous rice cultivars across Asian cuisines, like Japanese mochigome, Filipino malagkit, and Korean chapssal.

Glutinous rice flour, despite its name, is gluten-free: The sticky, chewy texture it brings to confections like mochi, boba pearls, dango dumplings, and Filipino palitaw (sweet rice cakes) is characteristic of Oryza sativa var. glutinosa, which replicates the snappy stretch of gluten.

Though their applications sometimes overlap, there are distinct differences between the two kinds of rice flour:

• They come from different rice cultivars. Rice flour is made from Japonica long-grain rice, and glutinous rice flour comes from both long and short-grain glutinous “sticky rice” or “sweet rice” varieties.
• Glutinous rice has more chew. While both flours may be used as thickeners, rice flour has less chew when cooked than glutinous rice flour; because of this, the latter is more frequently used for desserts.

Every substitution depends on the recipe. Rice flour is easy to replace when used as a thickening agent or in gluten-free baking with somewhat similar results, but cornstarch can’t stand in for glutinous rice flour when making mochi, for example. If you don’t have any rice flour on hand, these similar starches might do the trick:

1. 1. Cornstarch: Cornstarch is extracted from the endosperm of corn kernels and is a notably effective thickener for soups, stews, and sauces. When baked, cornstarch can replicate the light, airy crumble that rice flour provides.
2. 2. Potato starch: If you need a thickener, the starch extracted from potatoes is even more effective than plain rice flour.
3. 3. Tapioca flour: Tapioca flour is made from the crushed pulp of the cassava (yuca) root and is distinct from cassava flour, which includes the root’s skin. This slightly sweet flour alternative can work as a rice flour substitute in recipes for pancakes, pastries, and other baked goods.
   

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