can jasmine or arborio rice be substituted for the calrose medium grain rice? Those are what I have on hand at the moment

If you're familiar with the dish and/or you don't mind a slightly different product, I love just substituting rices and seeing what I end up with! I agree with gingerroot on the jasmine rice, it'll be looser and drier, but lighter as well.

Hi Sauertea, my first thought would be to sub the arborio since it is a rice variety typically used for risotto and is short and plump and starchy like the calrose. However, I love the aroma of jasmine rice - you'd be gaining flavor and nuance, though might lose a bit in texture since jasmine is typically more fluffy. I might have to try it with jasmine myself, I think I'd add a little more liquid as well. Let me know what you decide and how it turns out!