Aged Basmati?

[nessa]

I went to my Taj Imports this weekend and among other things, was perusing the vast rice selection. I nearly walked off with a 10 pound bag of "Aged Basmati" because it sounded quite delightful. But I didn't really know what it was, or if it was more flavorful, firmer, or whatever, than the plain-old-bulk-from-Central-Market-basmati that I have currently in my pantry.

I just have a few cupfuls left. There is something decidely thrilling for me, about buying a big ol' bag of rice. It feels somehow... comforting and safe and I can't figure that one out. I ended up talking myself out of the purchase, but now regret it. I'm tired of feeling guilty for eating rice. Screw low carb. Nothing wrong with a half cuppa rice with my meal.

So, anyway....

What IS the difference between regular basmati and aged basmati?

What about jasmine rice? I love the pop-corny smell of jasmine rice. They had that by the bagful too. There were bags upon bags of rices.

How do you choose? What do you use? What do you like?

Newbie Nessa Needs to Know. Tee hee.

[Rushina]

Hi Nessa

I did not give rice too much importance untill I married. My husband comes from Dehra Dun which is famous for its Basmati.

I am told that the older the rice the better. In my in-laws house a whole years rice is bought and put down for the next year. which essentially means we are currently consuming the rice that was put down last year.

I also learned to soak basmati before we cook it, this brings out the fragrance. to cook the proportion of rice to water is 1:2. (1 cup rice to 2 cups water). Put it on a high flame till all the water has been absorbed. Do not stir, this will break the kernels. You will be able to moniter the water by the little "steam vents" that form on the surface. when the water is dried out cover tightly, lower the flame for about 2 mins and take off flame. Leave covered for a while. Uncover only when you are ready to serve.

Rushina

[Sleepy_Dragon]

I find comfort in big bags of rice at home as well.

As for the difference between basmati and jasmine, basmati is nuttier, and jasmine is nutty with floral overtones. Rushina has already mentioned how to cook basmati; for jasmine it's about 1.2 parts water to 1 part rice, with a cooked yield of around 3 times the original raw quantity.

Of course, ideally I'd know how much to dunk my pinky finger into the water above the rice to measure the correct amount, but that method only seems to work for Chinese and Japanese rice (water level is from the pinky tip to the first joint encountered, from surface of water to surface of rice).

Pat

[gingerly]

rice is nice

[Comfort Me]

I was taught that aged is better, also.

Question: I like to buy rice in quantity -- but how do you prevent weevils and other meely, wormy things from taking up residency in you rice? I recently bought sticky rice which was, after only a couple of weeks, very um...active. I'm now quite wierded out when I approach the rice cooker.

[nessa]

I tend to use the finger method too, for rice Japanese and Chinese varities, but the 2:1 ratio for long grains. I never bother rice once I put the cover on.

I too am worried about weevils and other bugs. I live in Texas where its very humid, and weevils and the like can be a big problem.

I already had a worm incident with my coriander seeds, so now I make sure I don't keep bulks spices on hand that are prone to such things. If I can't use it up within a month, its too much. So I worry about getting a huge bag. I know families who would go through the bag in a week or so, so its not an issue for them. But its just me and my SO, so.... do weevils bother rice? I'm not looking for another protein source.....

I want to go back and get that bag of rice, I really do. And all the other things I talked myself out of, for that matter.

[Big Bunny]

Question:  I like to buy rice in quantity -- but how do you prevent weevils and other meely, wormy things from taking up residency in you rice?  I recently bought sticky rice which was, after only a couple of weeks, very um...active.  I'm now quite wierded out when I approach the rice cooker.

I would try looking for a more reliable dealer. The few times that I have had serious problem with bugs, they came home from a store that didn't keep their goods properly.

Of course, it is natural for an occasional moth to hatch, but usually one or two is not a problem. If the dealer "moves" his product, and generally keeps packages intact, the problem is definitely minimized.

BB

[tryska]

I'm on a japanese medium grain kick now. being south indian the sort of glutinous texture reminds me of rice i've eaten there.

[Monty200]

Tryska I like your postings. Although of Indian origin, where most seem to think that Basmati is THE ultimate rice, I too like a more 'absorbent' rice, as I have found that it absorbs the flavor of a curry, sambhar etc really nicely. This, even w/Thai, Indonesian & Japanese curry, all of which I thoroughly enjoy.

Prema

[tryska]

Thank you Prema! And welcome to the forums. I definitely agree - I like medium grain for curries, sambhars and the like, Basmati to me is too dry, and works better for biryanis and pilau type applications.

[Monica Bhide]

Tryska I like your postings. Although of Indian origin, where most seem to think that Basmati is THE ultimate rice, I too like a more 'absorbent' rice, as I have found that it absorbs the flavor of a curry, sambhar etc really nicely. This, even w/Thai, Indonesian & Japanese curry, all of which I thoroughly enjoy.

Prema

Prema. I am so delighted you are here and hope that you will join us in our other discussions as well!

[bjosiam]

In general, I prefer to use Basmati with North Indian food - Pulao etc to go with North Indian curries.

With South Indian food, I prefer to use Jasmine rice. I feel that the flavour of Basmati clashes with Sambhar, rasam etc.

Ofcourse, being a South Indian, and a Tam Bhram at that, I did not grow up with basmati and rasam - so I might simply be responding to what I was brought up with.

Bharath

[Guest nimki]

<<<<I feel that the flavour of Basmati clashes with Sambhar, rasam etc.>>>>

Oh no! Basmati goes wonderfully well with sambar and rasam. The dry texture as someone called it, of basmati just provides the perfect foil to the sour and spicy notes of sambar.

Now this could be because I was brought up on the stuff, but that apart, I can genuinely appreciate both basmati and the more glutinous type rice with sambars and rasams. is something wrong with my tastebuds here? I mean have I crossed some invisible lines of age old combinations?

On an unrelated note,

sambar with chawal (rice) was such a staple of childhood lunches, being simple to make and nutritious (with four children my mother certainly didn't have the time to making elaborate four course meals) that in my dotage I have a problem eating sambar with dosai, idlis and vadas, in short with anything BUT rice!

[Episure]

I have over 15 varieties of rice in my larder but I prefer the south varieties with my sambar and rasam. This is due to conditioning - a factor which we too easily forget in our discussions. In my case the benchmark is from eating in South Indian friends' homes and restaurant Thalis which do not use Basmati at all.

So when I make Sambhar and Rasam at home, Basmati rice will throw the meal out of kilter.

Conditioning is what makes it right or wrong.

Edited May 19, 2004 by Episure (log)

[BBhasin]

Tryska I like your postings. Although of Indian origin, where most seem to think that Basmati is THE ultimate rice, I too like a more 'absorbent' rice, as I have found that it absorbs the flavor of a curry, sambhar etc really nicely. This, even w/Thai, Indonesian & Japanese curry, all of which I thoroughly enjoy.

Prema

i attended a south indian cooking class by julie sahni and she served her curries with an asian rice, prefering it over basmati as she felt it kind of sopped up the sauces better.

[nessa]

I think that is very intersting and very true. Conditioning is extremely important. That which you are exposed to first often becomes the standard by which you judge what comes after. I personally did not have much in the way of fconditioning, I don't think. Other than I was exposed to a lot of different foods, and expected to at least try them all. So I don't have any particular childhood preferences for food. Ok other than steak, and artichokes.

Steak is to be rare, and basted with a lemon butter sauce, salted and peppered lightly. Anything else is obviously a sin. So sayeth Daddy, the great Grill Master of all Steaks And artichokes are to be boiled and also served only with lemon butter sauce. So sayeth Mother, Keeper of the Chokes Anything else just does not taste right to me. Weird, huh.

Those are all I can think of. We had your regular whatever supermarket white rice, and sometimes Uncle Ben's wild rice mix.

It wasn't until the children left the nest and started cooking for themselves that new stuff got introduced. MA! you GOTTA try this jasmine rice stuff, you won't believe it!

So it seems like for me, when it comes to ethnic foods, I'm starting on a relatively clean slate, trying everything and forming opinions as I go along. I like that. but I'm also at a distinct disadvantage. I have to build my palate up from scratch. I don't instinctivly know how say, masoor dal *should* taste. So trial and error and help from the most beautiful of people gets me along the right path. Slowly but surely I'm developing a palate from which I can be creative, and not just follow a recipe and pray for the food gods to bless me.

So when it comes to rice, I might not even consider how it pairs with the food that I'm serving. I probably focus on the rice itself. I love how basmati is so graceful and long, fragrant and separate. Jasmine appeals to me because it has such a lovely fragrance. Each new thing brings me such joy in its discovery. Eventually, some of the new things will become comfort food for me. I will develop standards to which I think something should be made, but I do hope that I still remain open to trying it done a different way. Doesn't mean I won't like my way better.... but hey, you never know!

AAANYWAY... thanks to everyone who is helping broaden my horizons!

[Peppertrail]

Conditioning is what makes it right or wrong.

How true! I prefer Basmati for pulav and biriyani, long grain rice for south Indain flavored rices like tamarind rice or lemon rice and palin old par boiled (converted) medium grain or rosametta (if available) with coconut infused Kerala curries.

[Episure]

One of the South Indian rice varietals is a very good substitute for Arborio and Carnaroli Italian risotto rice. I had it in my collection but I forgot to label or jot down where I procured it from and now I dont know where to go looking for it.

Ammini, Milagai, Rajsuman.... anyone... have you all ever come across this variety if so does it have a name.

A Rice by any other name will.......

[Peppertrail]

One of the South Indian rice varietals is a very good substitute for Arborio and Carnaroli Italian risotto rice. I had it in my collection but I forgot to label or jot down where I procured it from and now I dont know where to go looking for it.

Ammini, Milagai, Rajsuman.... anyone... have you all ever come across this variety if so does it have a name.

A Rice by any other name will.......

There is a type of medium grain rice in Kerala that is used for making many temple offerings, especially neyypaayasam, that has a texture similar to that of Italian risotto. In Malayalam we call it unakkalari, which only identifies how the rice is processed - it is not a brand name. Could it be Ponni?

[easyguru]

Aged basmati or any rice cooks faster. The aroma also improves with aging. To prevent worms in India dried Neem leaves are added before storing the rice.

[bague25]

I add bay leaves to my rice and I never have had a worm problem

[jw46]

I add bay leaves to my rice and I never have had a worm problem

Used to have a major grain worm problem, but pheremone traps have seemed to work quite well...

I believe the bugs come as eggs in the birdseed that we have for our birds, not as well cleaned as people food..

the poor males get trapped in sticky goo when they come to investigate irresistable aroma of a female ready to mate...

Still gets a few, but not enough to ruin our grains..