Red Hermes Rice

Let me tell you about Red Hermes Rice, and why it behaves nothing like the white rice you boil without thinking.

This is a whole-grain rice, sold dry. The reddish skin stays on each kernel, and that's what you taste and feel. Bite into it and you'll feel that skin on your teeth with every mouthful — this rice stays chewy and springy even when it's fully cooked. Don't fight that. This rice wants to be chewed, not melted.

Choose it by the grain itself: kernels should be dry, separate, with an even reddish-brown colour and a matte look to the skin, no clumping, no broken bits. Smell it if you can — good whole-grain rice smells faintly nutty and clean. If it smells stale or musty, leave it on the shelf.

Some people say red rice is just white rice with food colouring added. No! Cook a spoonful and taste it — that nutty flavour and dense bite come from the grain itself, not from anything painted on. This misconception leads to a real mistake in the kitchen: people cook it like white rice, expecting it to turn soft and fluffy, then throw it out thinking it's undercooked — when really it's exactly as it should be. Give it time, and respect the bite.