Red rice

Widely available, this is a short-grained, unmilled rice with a deep red outer colour, giving way to a pale centre. It has more texture and bite than white rice and takes longer to cook. It retains its colour when cooked and makes a nutrient-full, chewier, fun alternative to brown or white rice. The most common is the Camargue red rice of the wetlands of southern France, but you can also enjoy Thai red rice – both are sticky and full of deep flavours – or Bhutanese red rice, a medium grain borne out of the kingdom of Bhutan, cultivated in the shadow of the Himalayas. It has an earthy flavour and turns pink on cooking. Slightly sticky, it can be used instead of brown rice to give a russet splendour to any dish.