Broken rice is a type of rice that has been broken into smaller pieces during the milling process. When rice is harvested, it is covered in a tough outer husk that needs to be removed before the grain can be eaten. After the husk is removed, the grain is then polished to remove the outer layer of bran, leaving the familiar white or brown rice grain that most people are familiar with.

During the milling process, some of the rice grains can be broken into smaller pieces. These broken rice grains are usually separated from the whole grains and sold separately as “broken rice”. The degree of breakage can vary, from small fragments to half or even three-quarters of a grain.