Basami rice

[Barry]

Several years ago I began buying Basami rice instead of regular crummy old rice. Rice is one of my staples.

Basami rice is grown in the Himalaya foothills and costs 2-3 times as much as regular rice - but it's still affordable since rice isn't very expensive to start with. Regular rice generally comes from California.

I began buying only Basami rice long before I had to fuss with my heart because it's so much tastier than regular rice. (and it makes the kitchen smell so good when it's cooking!). Anyway, point of all this yattering is that Basami rice needs no salt, whereas regular rice should be cooked with a some salt added to the water.

[PJmomrunner]

I think you mean basmati. Yes, it has nice flavor. Brown basmati has the same great flavor with the health benefits of whole grain! :)

Several years ago I began buying Basami rice instead of regular crummy old rice. Rice is one of my staples.

Basami rice is grown in the Himalaya foothills and costs 2-3 times as much as regular rice - but it's still affordable since rice isn't very expensive to start with. Regular rice generally comes from California.

I began buying only Basami rice long before I had to fuss with my heart because it's so much tastier than regular rice. (and it makes the kitchen smell so good when it's cooking!). Anyway, point of all this yattering is that Basami rice needs no salt, whereas regular rice should be cooked with a some salt added to the water.

[tobagotwo]

If it's similar to the rice I'm thinking of, it has a nice, nutty taste, much richer than reqular rice. But the rice I'm thinking of is called Basmati rice.

We buy it in a huge bag, and keep it fresh in the freezer, so the Indian Meal Moths won't get at it.

Best wishes,

[Barry]

Basmati it is! http://www.foodreference.com/html/artbasmatirice.html

I hadn't known there is domestic Basmati rice.

I noted in the link that it calls for cooking it with a bit less water than the usual 2:1 ratio for rice. That's been my experience, too - that with a 2:1 ratio it comes out a bit mushy.

The kind I get comes from the Himalaya foothills. I had thought that was a defining factor for Bamati rice. It's not.

[Nancy]

I love that rice too. The flavor when cooking is yummy. Another favorite is Lundberg Wild Blend, which is a mixture of different kinds of brown rice and wild rice. I think I'll have some for dinner, maybe beef curry with it, made with no sodium curry sauce.

[Karlynn]

I haven't used it in a while, because I try to low-carb it. But I loved it. However, I don't remember the cooking time...????

[PJmomrunner]

Yummy! All the Lundberg blends are terrific!

I love that rice too. The flavor when cooking is yummy. Another favorite is Lundberg Wild Blend, which is a mixture of different kinds of brown rice and wild rice. I think I'll have some for dinner, maybe beef curry with it, made with no sodium curry sauce.

[Barry]

I haven't used it in a while, because I try to low-carb it. But I loved it. However, I don't remember the cooking time...????

Same as for regular white rice: Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 20 minutes or a bit less. (I'm at 5,000 feet - cooking time may be more or less depending on your elevation).

[tobagotwo]

Ours is from India, picked in the foothills of the Himalayas, too, so we probably get the same (Deer Brand?). Pat's rice recipe:

Twice as much cold water as rice. About a teaspoon of salt for each cup of rice and a tablespoon of butter. Put all in a pot, bring to a boil, stir well, cover and reduce heat to low for 20 minutes. Fluff and leave off the heat for another 5.

You can leave out the salt, if needed, and use sweet butter or substitute.

Works every time.

Best wishes,

[PapaHappyStar]

Being from that part of the world -- we cant eat anything but basmati rice. Bob has the recipe right, I use ghee (clarified butter ) when available and much less salt, some cloves will give it an even better aroma/taste.

The brand we use is "swad" available in Indian stores if you live in a larger metro area.

[Nancy]

Cloves sound excellent. I'll try that next time.

[Barry]

...Bob has the recipe right, I use ghee (clarified butter ) when available and much less salt, some cloves will give it an even better aroma/taste...

Maybe it's because of the elevation (and thus the lower boiling temperature) here, but I've found that a 2:1 ratio yields rather mushy rice.

Wondering about ghee. Is it possible to make it? If so, how? I'm stunned that Basmati rice is available here (rural Nevada), hoping for a source of ghee is asking for a bit too much.

Gotta try the cloves. I think it would go well with the idiosyncratic flavor of Basmati.

[PJmomrunner]

I use 1 1/2 C water to 1 C basmati rice. I would guess it's because of the long thin grain. Ghee is simply clarified butter. You just melt butter and let it cool for a little while, then skim the foam off the top and pour the rest of the liquid (leaving behind the solids) through a cheesecloth lined strainer. (But nobody on this website should be eating that stuff! :eek: ;)

Maybe it's because of the elevation (and thus the lower boiling temperature) here, but I've found that a 2:1 ratio yields rather mushy rice.

Wondering about ghee. Is it possible to make it? If so, how? I'm stunned that Basmati rice is available here (rural Nevada), hoping for a source of ghee is asking for a bit too much.

Gotta try the cloves. I think it would go well with the idiosyncratic flavor of Basmati.

[Barry]

...But nobody on this website should be eating that stuff!...

Actually, given that for the first 50 years of my life I've readily indulged my taste for greasy salty foods (bacon and hot buttered popcorn are two of my favorite foods!), I was rather astonished to find that an angiogram found that my coronary arteries are just fine. I was rather expecting the catheter to find a roadblock there.

Anyway, I wouldn't think that valve replacement patients are at any greater risk of negative consequences of a high-fat diet (or smoking cigarettes, for that matter) than anyone else - just more aware that heart health is something to be taken seriously.

[tobagotwo]

Sorry, PJMomrunner. I agree with Barry on this one.

Many of the people here do not have CAD. In fact, it is a trait of many bicuspid valvers that their arteries are exceptionally clean. If your arteries are clean, your cholesterol and triglycerides normal, and you're not overweight from it, it would be hard to frame any cogent argument against it. The proof of the pudding is in the arteries. Or, if you prefer...If the catheter will fit, you must acquit...

Some people do get away with eating whatever they want: life's just not fair that way.

Yes, you can make ghee yourself. I did it once, when I was young and eager to do exotic things in the kitchen. (No, Ross - besides that.) It is a very long and tedious process, where you keep heating the butter and skimming the impurities off, without allowing it to burn. Fortunately, you can also buy it ready-made, particularly in ethnic food stores. It usually retains the full flavor of butter, and can even intensify it. You can also fry in it at much higher temperatures without it setting off the smoke alarm.

Best wishes,

[PapaHappyStar]

You can eat somewhat fatty food but you have to get rid of nicotine cigarettes -- I think they narrow blood vessels in the brain increasing risk of stroke, plus I think the oxygen carrying capacity of blood is also affected, circulation issues and cigarettes dont mix.

Good quality basmati soaks up a lot of water ... so it shouldnt get soggy with 2:1 water to rice, bring it to a slow boil ( reduce the heat ) and then let it simmer at very low heat -- I like my rice with separate grains, puffy and dry.

[tobagotwo]

Too much fatty food really doesn't make sense as a health investment, and I don't mean to imply it is completely harmless. However, that's a far cry from saying that all VRs must be more restrictive than non-VRs in their dietary habits. For many, it's just not so.

I totally agree about the tobacco, Burair. The vasoconstrictive (artery narrowing) properties of nicotine, and the oxygen-blocking action of tars in the alveoli (air sacs) of the lungs team up to make your heart work harder with less oxygen. This, of course, besides the fact that you carry around the sour smell of it, and can't even laugh with your friends or children without coughing.

The fluffing and sitting after boiling is important for the basmati's moisture content. Maybe Barry gets impatient and eats it too soon?

Best wishes,

[Wise]

You can eat somewhat fatty food but you have to get rid of nicotine cigarettes -- I think they narrow blood vessels in the brain increasing risk of stroke, plus I think the oxygen carrying capacity of blood is also affected, circulation issues and cigarettes dont mix.

Good quality basmati soaks up a lot of water ... so it shouldnt get soggy with 2:1 water to rice, bring it to a slow boil ( reduce the heat ) and then let it simmer at very low heat -- I like my rice with separate grains, puffy and dry.

That sounds good Burair. I grew up in northern Indiana. As a child I only had white rice and only as a breakfast cereal. I very rarely have it now, but I still like it, but still only as a cereal. As a side dish, the way you've described it is how'd I believe I'd like it. I'll have to try this stuff!