Basmati Rice

Basmati rice ushered into India thousands of years ago by the Aryans. The word Basmati means "the fragrance of virgin". This unearthly variety of rice is epitomized by an ecstatic amalgamation of vibrant aroma and lighter than air grains. Another lineament possessed by the Basmati rice grains is that they do not stick together and are exceedingly fluffy.

The most sort-after variety of Basmati rice hails from Dehradun situated in Uttaranchal. The Himalayan foothills are known to yield the finest quality of Basmati rice.

Two forms of Basmati Rice

White Rice

Primarily to enhance the storage life and to prevent spoilage, the rice is milled by removing its bran, husk and germ rendering it devoid of essential vitamins. Although the processed rice is enriched with these stripped vitamins later. However it is a time-saver as it takes much less time to cook about 10 minutes compared to brown rice which takes about 30 minutes.

Brown Rice

It is a much healthier counterpart of the white-rice. It is essentially the unmilled or partly milled or so-called "hulled rice". A meek nutty feel can be attributed to it. It rapidly turns rancid and a wee bit more elastic than the white-rice prototype.

Recipes made from Basmati Rice

• Pullaos from Basmati Rice
• Biryani from Basmati Rice

Basmati rice of Dehradun is easily obtainable from any grocery store in pre-cleaned form in bags. Basmati rice of Dehradun has got a high demand not only in India but abroad too.

Last Updated on 15 April 2011