A while ago I couldn't resist buying 10 Kilos of Basmati Rice & also got one bag free in my local large supermarket. Since then, many times I've tried to make the rice to my regular recipe (which always turned out super fluffy seperate grains)and it is a disaster. My question is are there different types of Basmati rice and 2nd question - which one is the best?

Regards

bacheri

Hello Bacheri

There are definitely many qualities of Basmati rice, from the ones with small grains and almost no flavours to very long grain varieties, full of flavour. Generally, you get what you pay for. Cheaper varieties are not very good and unreliable as to how they will be, when cooked. Many stores use the cheaper rice, offering them as 'special offers', knowing very well that this is not the best variety. Basmati rice tends to be better from previous years stock, rather than the freshest from the current year's harvest.

In India, people often buy newly harvested rice, to stock it for the following year. My family there lives near Dehradun, home of the best Indian Basmati and other long grain rice. The rice that is cooked at my brother's house there, is one of the best I have eaten. Northern province of Pakistan also grows very good quality Basmati rice. When buying rice, it is better to stick to brands you know. In UK, I tend to stick to Tilda Basmati rice, which is always good and I have never been let down.You can ask the shopkeeper about the best he has got.

Mamta

oodly I buy rice with hit and miss grabs from the shelves.. I sort of think If I were travelling around a country I would be treated to many different flavours and so why not do the same at home...

(Like a recent holiday in Cyprus when we had jacket potatoes with a meal... how fantastic were those locally grown fresh Cyprus potatoes... can't emulate that back in the UK, not even by buying Cyprus potatoes..)

Thank you Mamta for replying and explainng so clearly the different types of rice. I now am using the same rice that I used to use (the one you mentioned) and my rice dishes are back to normal - light and fluffy!

Regards

bacheri

It never occured to me to point out that some rice needs to be washed a lot more than other rice... I usually put mine in a large bowl and keep running fresh water into it, stirring it about and pouring the water off until the water stays clear... (gets rid of a lot of the excess startch and stops it all sticking together)