# Have you had white rice with a little sugar? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 19, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306 "2021-02-19T19:03:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/1 "2021-02-19T19:03:38Z")
_Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/1))_ 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. šŸ˜‡ I added a teaspoon of sugar to my rice for lunch. First time in 2021. Rice pudding is a similar idea except itā€™s a lot more work. Have you had white rice with a little sugar? Did you like it? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/2 "2021-02-19T19:13:25Z")
I have to admit, Iā€™ve never even heard of this. I prefer my rice plain. If Iā€™m reconstituting refrigerated leftover rice, I may add some butter to keep it from being dry. I probably donā€™t need another source of sugar in my life. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/3 "2021-02-19T19:17:19Z")
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. Iā€™m Japanese-American and it feels like it lacks the reverence for rice Iā€™m supposed to have. So I eat it basically plain with mouthfuls of whatever the side dishes are. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/4 "2021-02-19T19:17:54Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/5 "2021-02-19T19:22:18Z")
White rice with sugar was one of my momā€™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. ---
**Author:** ![TheKingOfSoup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@TheKingOfSoup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheKingOfSoup)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/6 "2021-02-19T19:33:41Z")
Sushi rice is usually made with mirin, a sweetened rice vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/7 "2021-02-19T19:40:42Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > 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. 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 donā€™t think Iā€™ve ever had any of those without vinegar, but Iā€™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. ---
**Author:** ![Keith1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Keith1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith1)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/8 "2021-02-19T19:53:03Z")
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 Iā€™ll eat it if not too greasy). ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/9 "2021-02-19T19:56:03Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > My Korean in-laws are aghast at even the idea. Sweet rice congee (with other ingredients) is a pretty standard Chinese dessert. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/10 "2021-02-19T20:35:24Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/11 "2021-02-19T20:35:34Z")
I like Rice Pudding. šŸš ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/12 "2021-02-19T20:44:56Z")
Mirin is a sweet rice wine similar to sake. It is used for sushi rice sometimes, but seasoned rice vinegar, which is not mirin, is far more common. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/13 "2021-02-19T20:46:12Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > My Korean in-laws are aghast at even the idea. Koreans showed me sweet rice seasoning for the first time. They were Korean teenagers, so perhaps their parents were aghast at the idea. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/14 "2021-02-19T21:17:35Z")
Oh man itā€™s been a long time since I had that, Moms recipe. And gotta get her bread budding with bourbon too. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/15 "2021-02-19T21:33:26Z")
Iā€™ve done a sweetened rice porridge (with butter and stuff). I think the box called it rice grits. And, of course, Iā€™ve had rice pudding. But Iā€™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. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/16 "2021-02-19T22:02:19Z")
My dad sometimes would eat leftover white rice with some milk and sugar as a dessert. Iā€™ve tried it, but wasnā€™t crazy about it. I suspect it was a low-budget way of getting any dessert at all when he was growing up. ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/17 "2021-02-19T22:36:19Z")
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. Wasnā€™t disappointed at all. Then I saw this thread and now I am craving more payasamā€¦ 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. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/18 "2021-02-19T22:43:27Z")
Very common dessert when I was a kid was rice with cream, sugar and cinnamon. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/19 "2021-02-19T22:55:03Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306/20 "2021-02-19T23:04:35Z")
A lot of kids put sugar on the horrible glue rice they served in our elementary school cafeteria. To me it was still horrible with sugar. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-had-white-rice-with-a-little-sugar/933306.md?page=2)