- "Imperial Scenery"
"Rice cakes are high every year, and this year is better than last year."
The sticky and dense texture gives the rice cake a good name, and whether it is to fill the belly of the Nian Beast or to paste the mouth of the Stove King, it has been given a beautiful vision for the new year.
Chinese have always been good at discovering the nature of food and making the most of it, whether it is glutinous rice in the south or yellow rice in the north (yellow rice is the "yellow rice" mentioned in the beginning of "huang cake"), all of which are loved for their sticky characteristics.
The Lantern Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the sticky grains are always served on the table in traditional festivals.
On a big day like the Spring Festival, it is even more incredible, whether it is a rice cake steamed out of raw grinding into a pulp, a rice dumpling kneaded into a ball, or a bowl of eight treasure rice wrapped in bean paste and dried fruits, all of which make people hungry.
Why are they delicious?
After all, sticky grain is still a grain, and the main component of grain is starch.
So why is white rice also starchy, and it is not as sweet and soft as glutinous rice and yellow rice when chewed?
This is because starch can be divided into amylose and amylopectin according to the number and structure of glucose molecules in it.
Amylose molecules contain fewer glucose molecules, and the glucose molecules are arranged in a tight and orderly manner, and are not easily hydrolyzed.
The pullulan molecule contains more glucose molecules, and the structure between the glucose is like branch bifurcation, the joint is more loose, it is easy to absorb water in case of heat, and it expands into a paste. [1]
As you might have guessed, glutinous rice contains more amylopectin than regular rice (in fact, most of the starch in glutinous rice is pullulan), so glutinous rice is more likely to become fluffy and softer than rice at the same moisture and temperature.
What happens after eating?
| The blood sugar response is staggering
Eating more fluffy and soft also means it's easier to absorb by the body. Another meaning that is easily absorbed by the human body is that blood sugar will rise very quickly after eating.
A 2016 study by the first author by my acquaintance found that for the two different varieties of glutinous rice, glutinous rice and indica glutinous rice, the glycemic index of steamed glutinous rice was as high as 94.42 and 84.47, respectively, and the rice cake made had a glycemic index of 125.47 and 110.87, which was faster than eating glucose directly. [2]
Moreover, the rice cake used in this study did not add other sugars, and only the simplest way of cooking was used.
The rice cake snacks we eat are often wrapped in a layer of sugar, and may be fried in hot oil, and the ability to eventually raise blood sugar is simply exploding!
As for the eight treasure rice soaked in lard, the red bean paste fried with sugar...
Ordinary people occasionally eat two bites, even if it is not enough, diabetics, or people who want to control blood sugar for weight control, skin management, etc., especially need to be vigilant!
In addition to the amazing blood sugar response, these sweet glutinous dots are also easy to eat.
First of all, the sticky grain products such as rice cakes, rice sticks, and eight treasure rice, due to the denser molecular structure after gelatinization, are relatively dense, and the density is relatively large compared to ordinary rice steamed buns and even bread biscuits, and the same volume will eat more starch.
Secondly, even if you eat the same amount of carbohydrates, glutinous rice flour can provide a stronger feeling of fullness than white rice. [3] Rice cakes have a stronger feeling of fullness than sticky rice. [2]
Therefore, people with weak gastrointestinal function should not eat more!
Now you should know that delicious rice cakes, rice dumplings, and eight treasure rice are actually not very healthy.
But on the occasion of the New Year's Festival, it is really difficult to resist the temptation of sweetness and softness, so I have come up with the following 5 tips for you.
(1) Family and friends share together, and harvest sweet when they see it, and there is more than enough every year.
(2) Before eating them, eat high-fiber, high-protein foods, such as vegetables and soy products, can slow down the rise in blood sugar. Chinese New Year's Eve rice in Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions makes some sense that babao rice is the last dish.
(3) Reduce staple food intake accordingly. Although they are desserts, they are essentially starchy. If you can't help but eat a whole Eight Treasures meal alone in the afternoon, please think twice about whether to eat dinner.
(4) Rice cakes and rice dumplings are directly used as staple foods, and it is also good to replace rice and noodles. Zhejiang's seafood rice cake soup is very delicious and healthier than frying and frying. But don't eat too much, remember to accompany vegetables.
(5) Do not heat repeatedly. Glutinous rice (pullulan) is not like rice (amylose) can regenerate, repeated heating will further increase the degree of gelatinization, blood glucose reaction will be further aggravated. [4]
Delicious without greed.
Leave more sweetness to the coming days.
References: (2019.1.9)
[1] Li Yong, Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Peking University Medical Press, 2005
Pan Haikun,Wang Shuying,Fan Zhihong. Evaluation of postprandial blood glucose and satiety in glutinous processed foods[J].Food Science,2016,37(17):225-229.
Wang Shuying,Fan Zhihong,Zeng Yue,Liu Fang,Liu Bo. Effects of different rice on postprandial blood glucose and satiety response[J].Acta Nutrition Sinica,2013,35(03):236-240.
May the New Year and happiness be well-being.