Rice is one of the most consumed food items out there. There are various forms of rice available in the market. It can also be cooked in a number of different ways. Every country has its own different recipes of rice.
There are some countries where cooking rice every day is a must and people cannot imagine eating a meal without a dish of rice. You can make rice for every occasion. Even a picky eater can’t say no to rice.
If you like spices, you can make biryani. If you don’t like spices, you can simply boil rice and have them with curry.
Paella is a rice-centered recipe, and it demands using a special kind of rice, known as bomba rice. Certain varieties of rice are more common than the others.
They are available everywhere in the world. But the uncommon varieties are difficult to find.
As a result, you may not be able to find a type of rice in your local market. If you cannot find bomba rice, we have the bomba rice substitutes in this article!
Bomba Rice – What Are These?
Bomba rice is widely available in Spain. However, if you don’t reside in Spain, it’s hard to get your hands on bomba rice.
Bomba rice has the capacity to absorb water without making the food mushy. So, if you want something similar but cannot find bomba rice, you can use a substitute.
Bomba Rice Substitutes
Sometimes, people don’t want to add an ingredient in a dish because of food allergy or taste preferences. But there are also those ingredients that aren’t easily available everywhere.
If you want to make a dish that requires you to add bomba rice as an ingredient, you would want to get that variety of rice. But if you can’t find it, you don’t have to worry about it. You can use a substitute and get the same taste.
1) Short Grain Rice
Short grain rice has a slightly sticky texture which means the rice will clump with each other. Short grain rice is great for absorbing water (just like bomba rice), along with different flavors.
The best thing about short grain rice is that it’s readily available in different supermarkets and is even available in multiple varieties. The short grain rice tends to have a plump and short appearance.
Some people don’t like their rice to turn into clumps. In certain cultures, if your rice clumps together, it is taken as proof that you don’t know how to cook them.
For this reason, some people might not want to use short grain rice. But short grain rice isn’t the only substitute of bomba rice. If you don’t want to use short grain rice, you can check out the other substitutes mentioned in this article.
2) Calasparra Rice
In case you are having a hard time finding bomba rice, Calasparra rice is a great option. This is because this rice type has an identical texture to bomba rice.
But again, Calasparra rice can be hard to find as well because it’s pretty much limited to Spain.
If you live in Spain but don’t like bomba rice, then calasparra rice is the best substitute for you. Due to its same properties, you can use it to make paella and the final taste will be just the same as if you used bomba rice.
3) Arborio Rice
When it comes down to substituting bomba rice, your first choice should be arborio rice. The arborio rice is widely used with cheesy and starchy risotto dishes, but it’s great for making paella as well.
This rice form is readily available in supermarkets and grocery stores. The best thing is that arborio rice will have a similar consistency as bomba rice. The arborio rice tends to be chewy in the center while the texture is creamy.
Arborio rice are ideal for people who like a creamy taste in their food. They can be used in a number of dishes.
You can also boil arborio rice and serve them with white sauce. Kids who love cheese and sauces will love this combination in particular.
4) Calrose Rice
The Calrose rice is a great substitute for bomba rice. Calrose rice is easily available in grocery stores because it is cultivated in California.
However, keep in mind that Calrose rice is medium grain rice which means the size will be a bit different.
The taste of Calrose rice is also a bit different from bomba rice. If you don’t mind a little different taste of your paella, you can go with this option.
5) Sticky Rice
Sticky rice is famous as glutinous rice or sweet rice. Sticky rice is grown and cultivated in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It makes a great substitute for bomba rice.
As the name suggests, sticky rice gains a sticky texture when it’s cooked. On top of everything, sticky rice is gluten-free rice!
Sticky rice is ideal for people who are following a gluten-free diet. They can also be used in the recipes of different gluten-free dishes. People can enjoy eating rice without compromising on their diet.
6) Basmati Rice
Basmati rice is a fine substitute for bomba rice. It has a nutty flavor. This type of rice is incredibly fragrant. It belongs to the long-grain rice form. When basmati rice is cooked, it remains very much separated.
Basmati rice is very famous in Southeast Asian countries. It is used for making Indian and Pakistani rice dishes. If you want to mix basmati rice in paella, you will have to overcook it to make it turn softer.
7) Brown Rice
Brown rice are wholegrain rice that have a dark color and a taste different from all types of white rice. Brown rice is found in medium-grain or long-grain form.
Brown rice also has the bran or shell, as a result, their cooking time will be longer than that of bomba rice. Above all, brown rice has a high nutritional value.
Brown rice is also used by people who are following a particular diet. Although they can be used as a substitute of bomba rice, they are very different in taste. So, only use brown rice in paella if you like their taste.
8) Parboiled Rice
Parboiled rice is a type of rice that has been boiled in the husk and works as a fine substitute for bomba rice. It’s important to outline that parboiled rice doesn’t stick to each other when cooked.
9) Jasmine Rice
Jasmine rice is also known as Thai rice. It is a long-grain rice with a unique aroma. It has a higher compound concentration. As far as the consistency is concerned, jasmine rice, when cooked, become sticky and soft.
Due to their soft form, jasmine rice can be one of the best substitutes of bomba rice. You can use them to make different rice-centered dishes.
10) Orzo
Orzo is the wheat pasta that is shaped like rice. It also serves as a substitute for bomba rice. Keep in mind that the cooking time, taste and texture will be different from bomba rice.
However, the stickiness, softness, and starchiness will be similar to bomba rice.
Although Orzo is not a type of rice, it can still work perfectly in rice-centered dishes like paella.
11) Cuscus
Cuscus is also known as wheat semolina. Cuscus is known to have a faster cooking time as compared to bomba rice.
Conclusion:
Everybody wants to try different dishes. Sometimes, people can’t make a certain dish because of the unavailability of an ingredient.
If you want to make paella and can’t find bomba rice, you should try the substitutes mentioned above.
One of them will work for you. With the help of these substitutes, you will be able to make paella and any other rice-centered dish you want.