No matter where it grows, rice is classified by size, giving shoppers a chance to choose from

short, medium and long-grain varieties.

Medium-grain rice is shorter and stubbier than its long-grain cousins, making it a favorite

for dishes that involve blending the cooked rice with other ingredients.

Make paella or Latino chicken-and-rice dishes with long-grain rice, and the grains will

tend to crumble as you stir the pot. Use medium-grain rice, and the individual grains have a

much better chance of remaining intact.

A staple grain for much of the world, medium-grain rice is used in everything from Armenian

rice pilaf to Indian rice pudding. It's also commonly used to make sushi rice, because its

starch contributes enough stickiness to keep it together. Some cooks even use medium-grain

rice to replace the classic short-grain arborio rice in risotto.

West Coast style: California is the second-ranking producer of rice in the United States,

after Arkansas. While most American rice is one of the long-grain varieties, medium-grain rice

makes up about 90 percent of the rice grown in California. Its quality makes California

medium-grain rice welcome in the rice-loving nation of Japan, where it accounts for about half

of rice imports.

Against the grain: Rice is essentially a type of grass, cultivated by humans since at least

5,000 B.C.E. While typically eaten boiled or steamed, it's also ground into flour, and used to

make beer and liquor.

To make his Mexican rice, Mexican food expert Rick Bayless prefers medium-grain rice for

its "meatier texture." This recipe, inspired by Bayless' "Mexican Everyday," can be customized

in myriad ways.

Bayless suggests sauteing garlic, onion or mushrooms with the rice in the first step, or

vegetables like carrots with the salsa. To make it a main dish, nestle browned chicken thighs

into the rice mixture when you add the broth and cook as directed.

Mexican rice

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

1 1/2 cups medium-grain white rice

1 cup bottled tomato salsa

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Salt

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an ovenproof pot with lid, heat oil over medium heat. Add

rice and stir frequently until the grains of rice turn from translucent to milky white. Don't

worry if some brown.

Add salsa, chicken broth and about 1/2 teaspoon salt, depending on how salty the broth and

salsa are. Stir, and let the mixture come to a boil.

Put lid on pot and set in middle of the oven. Bake 20 minutes. Uncover, add peas and half

the cilantro, if using. Re-cover pot, and return to oven. After 5 minutes, remove from oven

again and let stand 5 minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork, mixing in the peas and cilantro, if using, and serve.