The wrong rice will undermine every Korean dish you make. Korean cuisine requires short-grain varieties that are sticky, chewy, and hold together when eaten with chopsticks. Here are four brands to look for.
Why Rice Type Matters
If you cook Korean food with basmati or jasmine rice, the results will taste wrong. Not bad, exactly, but fundamentally different from what you would eat in Korea. Korean rice is a short-grain variety (japonica) that cooks into sticky, slightly chewy clumps that can be picked up with chopsticks and hold together when shaped into bites. Long-grain rice stays separate and fluffy — the opposite of what Korean food requires.
Understanding the Options
Finding authentic Korean rice in the UK is not straightforward. Very few brands import rice directly from Korea (it is expensive and subject to import restrictions). Instead, most Korean households in the UK use Japanese or Californian short-grain rice varieties, which are virtually identical in texture and taste. Koshihikari and Calrose are the two most common types, and both produce excellent results for Korean cooking.
The Brands
**Rhee Bros Korean Calrose** is one of the few brands specifically marketed as Korean rice in the UK. It is grown in California using Korean rice varieties and produces consistently good results — sticky, slightly sweet, with good chew. **Nishiki Premium** is a Japanese brand widely available in the UK. It is popular among Korean cooks for its reliability and slightly lower price. **Yutaka Koshihikari** is another Japanese-market brand that works perfectly for Korean dishes. Koshihikari is generally considered a premium variety with a slightly more delicate flavour.
The Instant Option
**CJ Hetbahn** is Korea's most popular instant cooked rice. Each packet microwaves in ninety seconds and produces surprisingly decent rice — not as good as freshly cooked, but remarkably close. For weeknight convenience, having a few packets on hand is invaluable. They are also useful when you want a single portion without cooking a full pot.
Cooking Tips
Always wash Korean rice thoroughly — three to four rinses until the water is mostly clear. Soaking for thirty minutes before cooking improves the texture. Use a 1:1 ratio of rice to water for rice cookers, or slightly more water (1:1.1) for stovetop cooking. Let the rice steam with the lid on for ten minutes after cooking before serving. Leftover rice keeps well in the fridge for up to three days and is actually preferred for fried rice, where slightly dried-out grains produce better results.
K-Food → Guide
Best Korean Rice Brands Available in the UK
A guide to choosing the right rice for Korean cooking in Britain.
If you cook Korean food with basmati or jasmine rice, the results will taste wrong. Not bad, exactly, but fundamentally different from what you would eat in Korea. Korean rice is a short-grain variety (japonica) that cooks into sticky, slightly chewy clumps that can be picked up with chopsticks and hold together when shaped into bites. Long-grain rice stays separate and fluffy — the opposite of what Korean food requires.
02
Understanding the Options
Finding authentic Korean rice in the UK is not straightforward. Very few brands import rice directly from Korea (it is expensive and subject to import restrictions). Instead, most Korean households in the UK use Japanese or Californian short-grain rice varieties, which are virtually identical in texture and taste. Koshihikari and Calrose are the two most common types, and both produce excellent results for Korean cooking.
03
The Brands
Rhee Bros Korean Calrose is one of the few brands specifically marketed as Korean rice in the UK. It is grown in California using Korean rice varieties and produces consistently good results — sticky, slightly sweet, with good chew. Nishiki Premium is a Japanese brand widely available in the UK. It is popular among Korean cooks for its reliability and slightly lower price. Yutaka Koshihikari is another Japanese-market brand that works perfectly for Korean dishes. Koshihikari is generally considered a premium variety with a slightly more delicate flavour.
05
The Instant Option
CJ Hetbahn is Korea's most popular instant cooked rice. Each packet microwaves in ninety seconds and produces surprisingly decent rice — not as good as freshly cooked, but remarkably close. For weeknight convenience, having a few packets on hand is invaluable. They are also useful when you want a single portion without cooking a full pot.
Always wash Korean rice thoroughly — three to four rinses until the water is mostly clear. Soaking for thirty minutes before cooking improves the texture. Use a 1:1 ratio of rice to water for rice cookers, or slightly more water (1:1.1) for stovetop cooking. Let the rice steam with the lid on for ten minutes after cooking before serving. Leftover rice keeps well in the fridge for up to three days and is actually preferred for fried rice, where slightly dried-out grains produce better results.
