How Rice is Grown in Thailand: From Paddy to Table

What an INCREDIBLE experience! I got a chance to go to Thailand to film a mini documentary about the journey that Thai jasmine rice takes before it ends up on your store shelves. It was an eye-opening trip, and I am so excited to share it with you!

I have cooked and eaten thousands of bowls of rice in my life, which is truly a lifeblood of Thai people, yet I had so little idea about how it ends up in front of me. I hope you will enjoy and learn a lot from this fascinating trip with me as I did! P.S. My brother Art was the cameraman for this video :)

Big thanks to the Thai Trade Center Vancouver for sponsoring this trip!

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About Pai:

Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant is the author of the Hot Thai Kitchen cookbook, co-host of a Canadian TV series One World Kitchen on Gusto TV, and creator and host of the YouTube channel Pailin's Kitchen.

Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her "playtime" in the kitchen. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.

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[PailinsKitchen]

HELLO LOVELY VIEWERS! Important Note:

If you have questions about this video, you can post it here for the community to answer. But if you want to ask me, please get in touch via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or my website (all links are in the description above). If you leave questions in the comments I may not see them due to the large volume of comments I receive across the hundreds of videos on this channel.

Thank you for watching!

[dohn]

And to be fair, just as much hard work and attention to detail was put forth by you Pai when creating this mini documentary.
I'm sure that it was quite an undertaking. Thank you for sharing this with all of us and thank you for your efforts! I had fun on your field trip!

[lonelyplanet]

I live in The Netherlands and I work in the rice industry. We import rice from India, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Paraguay, Suriname etc., and this rice process is extremely accurate! I experienced it in Indonesia, Thailand and in The Philippines.

Thanks for this, Pailin!

[saywhat]

I am amazed at this process. It also tells me Thailand rice is the best quality rice available. Impressive 🍚

[skrrrtskrrrrttt]

My mind got blown away! I never thought Rice Production is such a big deal! Thank you for educating us💕

[cesarbattistini]

That Is incredible I will never complain about the price again.

[elsazamparelli]

I follow your cooking videos religiously, and busy cooking the recipes. These back ground documentaries are wonderful, and does make you appreciate each bite of rice or noodle. I was in the film industry for 40 plus years, so I know how hard you work to create all these videos. You are appreciated!

[yanglu]

Pai, thank you for doing this vlog, it meant a lot to me since my family are rice plantation farmers and owners. I can vividly remember when I was young I used to help load bags after bags of rice on our big tractor trailers, tagged, and ready for export. However, the new generation and some people may not know the hardship that our ancestors have to overcome.

As you found out by wearing boots in the rice patties are no match for the muddy waters. People who eat at a buffet and waste every grain of rice don't know the hardship that rice farmers have to overcome. Rice farmers depend largely on the weather (hot or cold, typhoons or drought), season, and if they are able to have enough of water source for the season before it's harvest. The obstacles and challenges that rice farmers have to face are paramount to those who can only put rice on their plate. One time there was a drought that hit all the farmers where we was not able to obtain water for growing rice for 3 months, where we was unable to grow any rice for our first harvest, but than it comes the rain. However, this rain was unusually warm and my grandparents decided to go ahead and plant the young rice anyways. So the young rice grew, we harvest it, dry it in the sun, than put the rice in the mill to process for its removal of yellow husks, and it's process, than bagged. After everything is done and loaded on the truck my grandfather came home from his regular job and to check on the rice before the truck ship it out. Well he was happy of the job we done, but than he ask "what is that smell and where is it coming from?" We all cannot find where it's coming from since we've been working in the plant and our nose done ran away from us with the smell of rice. My grandpa checked everywhere and the last thing that he look into was the husk hopper and needless to say we was not thrilled what he found and told us to do next. He found a flattened mouse in the hopper it is where we lost another 15, 000+ lbs or rice that season.

So I guess my family can relate to other rice farmers who knows and care a grain of rice is a grain close to reality.

[kuyaleinad]

Great Documentary!

My Grandfather owns a of Rice farm in my country and I've only ever seen the drying and milling process since we get our rice straight from the farm :P

For those who's wondering, the drying process is when unmilled rice is basically layed in the cement floor to be sundried. We then use brushes and shovels to collect them since there's a lot! Then the rice is sent to a mill where the hull is removed and the rice is polished :)

[stpatrickschoir]

Wow! I really enjoyed this and have a new-found appreciation and respect for rice "makers" and rice itself! This was amazing! Thank you!

[vinitasandeepkumar]

This is really a good learning experience for all of us! Thank you Pai!

[TheSprinkleCupcake]

I loved watching this! It really makes you appreciate your food. If you ever get the opportunity you should definitely make another video like this about fish sauce!

[philtang]

Your documentary presentation skills are fantastic...so natural in front of the camera, well done. :)

[katiestegman]

I am completely blown away at how much work goes into getting a bag of rice on the shelf. Thanks for your hard work on this and for reminding us not to take our food for granted!

[JoeMartinez_LA_LostSoul]

Thank you so much! This is by far the most in dept look at the process, in a mini blog, that I've ever come across! The sheer enjoyment on your face, the joy, the deep pleasure, and the appreciative nature of your heritage in the care and history all rolled into one that you show is amazing, and kept me interested second after second. I've often sat and wondered, knowing all the work that goes on in bringing rice from patty to table, on the steps taken and how things are what they are. There is so much about the food we simply take advantage of, daily, that goes on just to bring it to our tables, that makes one appreciate it tons more.. and know it's a hands on process, not just machines doing it. Amazing job, and thank you once again!

[jessicajrollo]

Rice is the lifeblood of many southeast Asian countries. I remember growing up in the Philippines and seeing rice farmers working in the fields on my way to and from school every day. The huge rice paddies were actually cut into the mountains- so beautiful! I'm sure times have changed over the years, but they hand planted and used water Buffalo back then.

[makebistro]

Thanks Pai - this was super fascinating.

[sunny-dntk]

We love to eat jasmine rice from Thailand. That is the only type of rice we eat at home. Thanks.

[pv]

Pai, I can't express how much I love your channel! I especially love all the episodes where you take us with you on your trips toThailand. Thank you :)

[Laurienart]

Thanks for making this documentary! I had no idea how much work went into rice, it was really cool to see all the steps! I vote that you keep making these mini-documentaries, they're beautifully made (great camera work omg, so pleasant to watch) and really informative!