I used to add a spoonful of sugar to my rice. It was common for kids in my family. I stopped after high school. Except for an occasional treat. Rice is so boring.
I added a teaspoon of sugar to my rice for lunch. First time in 2021. Rice pudding is a similar idea except it’s a lot more work.
I see this. It seems analogous to sweetening other cooked cereals like oatmeal, which seem to always be sweetened when served.
Not for me, though. I’m Japanese-American and it feels like it lacks the reverence for rice I’m supposed to have. So I eat it basically plain with mouthfuls of whatever the side dishes are.
My understanding is almost all sushi rice has a little bit of sugar in it. I like that but have never done it myself. I went to a sushi restaurant once where the rice was SWEET and that was pretty gross just because the sugar was so intense it was overriding the fish flavor.
White rice with sugar was one of my mom’s regular desserts. Easy to make, tasty, and filling.
My Korean in-laws are aghast at even the idea. My Indian friends want to add some spices to it, which are good but unnecessarily complicate the dish to my tastes.
Most sushi rice also has vinegar in it, but the vinegar may be minimized and extra sugar added. There are also a variety of sweet rice flavoring products that might also be used for sushi without any vinegar. I don’t think I’ve ever had any of those without vinegar, but I’ll find out soon because I think it will be delicious. Some people keep a mix of salt and sugar on the table for seasoning and that might be an ideal way to do this, just serve plain rice and season to taste.
I sometimes toss some curry powder into the water when making rice. Or a bit of masala.
Fried rice (Chinese style) is a crime (but I’ll eat it if not too greasy).
My grandmother made it for me when I was a kid and would eat anything with sugar in it. For her, I suspect it was some kind of Depression Era comfort food.
I’ve done a sweetened rice porridge (with butter and stuff). I think the box called it rice grits. And, of course, I’ve had rice pudding. But I’ve never sweetened just plain rice. ]
Well, unless you count fried rice and the sweet meat sauces at Chinese restaurants. I did do the American thing and put, say, my orange beef on top of the rice.
My dad sometimes would eat leftover white rice with some milk and sugar as a dessert. I’ve tried it, but wasn’t crazy about it. I suspect it was a low-budget way of getting any dessert at all when he was growing up.
Never ate just rice mixed with sugar; but Indian-style kheer/payasam - rice pudding prepared of thickened milk, rice and sugar, with raisins and nuts - is a treat fit for the gods. Got a strong craving for it this morning, ordered two cups from the best Indian restaurant in town. Wasn’t disappointed at all. Then I saw this thread and now I am craving more payasam… There is a state in India called Kerala whose people, god bless them, make the best payasam in the world. Definitely try it in an authentic Indian restaurant.
Same in our house when I was growing up. Probably once a month or so, usually on a Saturday evening, for some reason. My siblings and I thought it was a real treat!