Pride Of India - Extra Long Indian Basmati Rice - Naturally Aged Aromatic Grain, 1.5 Pound Jar

Everything it says it is. I was pleasantly surprized with everything about it... extra long grain like I like, cooks up just right (no unpleasant surprises), aroma is very nice (dinner guests love it). I have been using nothing but this rice for a couple of years, and frequently make it just to fill the kitchen with it's wonderful aroma; of course, I eat it too. Before experiencing this rice, I hardly ever ate rice; just wasn't my thing. Now, I prefer it to French fries or mashed potatoes. There is another product sold on Amazon by the same name and has the same packaging that has very poor reviews, and sells for less; weird. I have no idea what that's all about, but I can vouch for this particular one as being of high quality and value. RECIPE: Rice, Basmati... the better rice ★★★★★ Prep 30 mins ∙ Cook 15 mins ∙ Makes 3 cups cooked rice INGREDIENTS: 1 cup Basmati Rice 2 cups water ½ tsp salt (or to taste) splash of oil or bit of butter ⅛ tsp turmeric (optional) DIRECTIONS: Using a strainer, gently rinse rice thoroughly with water to remove excess starch. Carful... the rice is britle and breaks easily. We are trying to get rid of small particles, not make more... easy does it. Soak rice in cold water for 30 minutes for softer, less brittle rice. Drain well, and transfer rice to pot with a good fitting lid. Add salt and butter to the rice and toss gently; gently. The butter not only adds flavor, but helps prevent the water from boiling over. Boil water in a seperate kettle or pot, and pour over the rice. Set pot over medium-high heat. When water starts boiling and steaming again, cover pot with tight fitting lid, reduce heat to just above it's lowest setting, and let rice cook for 15 minutes undisturbed. After 15 minutes, remove pot from heat, with lid still on (no peeking!); let rice steam another 5 minutes. Uncover rice, fluff it up with a fork. Fun with Tumeric: To add a bit of color, mix ⅛ teaspoon turmeric with a tablespoon of water, then add a handful of some still hot rice to the mixture. Then mix this rice back into the white rice. RICE Comparison: → Jasmine Rice (sticky) Jasmine rice is originally from Thailand and commonly used in Southeast Asian cooking. This is a long grain variety of rice that has a subtle floral aroma and a soft, sticky texture when cooked. The grains are also shorter and thicker than basmati rice. Before cooking it's important to wash all types of rice to remove dust and excess starch. Jasmine rice is traditionally cooked by steaming or using the absorption method, which simply means it's cooked in a measured amount of water which is completely absorbed by the rice. → Basmati Rice (non-sticky) Basmati rice hails from the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India and Pakistan. There are some varieties grown in the U.S., but they aren't quite as good as the imported varieties. This is a long grain variety of rice commonly used in Indian, Middle Eastern and Persian cooking. Basmati rice is commonly available at most grocery stores and is available in both white and brown varieties. Basmati rice needs to be soaked for at least 30 minutes before cooking. This allows the grains to absorb water and cook evenly without breaking. Basmati rice is traditionally cooked by boiling it in water. → Texmati rice is grown in Texas, and is a cross between Basmati and Texas long grain rice. We prefer Basmati over Texmati. To my taste, Texmati is missing length, fluffiness, aroma, and flavor compared to... okay... Texmati sucks compared to India Basmati. Although Jasmine is similar to Basmati and pretty good in it's own right, Basmati is a hard act to follow. → So... rinse and repeat to give either rice a thorough washing (carful not to break the grains... easy does it), then soak for at least 30 minutes to prepare it for cooking. Skipping either step will result in an end product that will surely disappoint. These fancier rices are a far cry from Minute Rice, and the other common, everyday rices most American's are used to. They require a lil' extra effort and care to prepare, but the end result is oh so worth it. I hope this helps.

This is by far the best basmati rice you can by short of having an Indian Market near by. The flavor, texture, and aroma are so perfect! My mother in law was Persian so rice was an important ingredient and quality mattered.

Good rice product

This is an excellent rice, taste and texture.

As an American whose ancestors are traceable to the American Revolution and before, I can say that flavor is not what you encounter with old traditional recipes. Raised with plain ordinary American long grain white rice, Basmati and Jasmine rice eye-opening, or rather palate- expanding experiences. This Indian Basmati rice is no exception. It is delicious. You must buy it. Try it first cooked plain and adjust your seasonings accordingly. You will certainly want to cook it again in your old favorite recipes for flavor adventures.

Early thoughts. New to using brown rice but my first couple of forays into using this brown basmati rice has been good. So much to learn in how to prepare it correctly. First off, this Pride Of India - Extra Long Brown Basmati Rice is a very clean product. There does not seem to be any noticeable run off from rinsing the product. I am convinced that rinsing and a soak is a must. My first two experiences tell me that it takes longer to prepare/cook than indicated in package instructions. Only tried Absorbtion method so far, using 2:1 ratio. Rinse 2-3 times, soak for maybe 20-25 min then drain, return to pot adding the water, boil for 4-5 minutes, then simmer covered for a good 30 + minutes until moisture absorbed, then let stand another 7 minutes or so. For now, I prefer the pilaf preparation saute'ing onions in the pot before adding broth as replacement for the water. Add up to a cup of additional mixed saute'd veggies to the pot for the let stand phase. I added more onions, some mushroom, peas and carrots. Don't think I have quite found the sweet spot for my preferred method/s, but I'll keep trying variations including a boil/drain method for a plain brown rice option I'll update after a few more attempts to improve.

It is delicious! Will buy again!

5/21/23 Terrible: I’ve tried it again since I didn’t want a bad batch to ruin the good experience I’ve had…well, that was just terrible. Not only is it still not golden brownish color both jars have dirt. Not sure what’s going on and it’s no longer pride but shame of India. Will no longer buy and want my money back. I refuse to give access to my camera but will send video to seller. Shameful!! Last time I reviewed (below) on my fourth jar, it was wonderful. I’ve ordered at half dozen times since last review and the product was consistent. I usually order 2 to 3 jars of different sizes. I just placed another order last month and the rice looked like white rice unlike the golden brown in the past. I thought maybe I’ve received a wrong item but both jars say golden parboiled as before. This rice also breaks when cooked it, did not hold firm like the previous ones. This has never happened. What is going on? I know we’re the midst of an inflation and unscrupulous companies might try to pull the wool over ppl’s eyes but this is unacceptable. Totally unacceptable. I’ve bought enough of this rice to know it is NOT parboiled rice. Every parboiled rice is gold…different shades of gold but gold. The one I received is white basmati not parboiled as stated. Shame on you! This is my fourth jar I believe and this rice is simply marvelous. Very fragrant, clean, firm golden grains and taste amazing if you know how to cook rice :-) I give it a 4-Star because it’s not organic to my knowledge but I certainly will order again. It’s hard to find good organic parboiled rice. I found one but took almost two months to arrive. This one was as expected.

Schmeckt wie im indischen Restaurant! und die Körner sind extra lang. Nur zu empfehlen!

The taste and texture are amazing.

Didnt lik it. The rice had a strange smell which I found off putting.

Excessivement cher vu la qualité. Trop déçue je ne recommande pas cet achat.

My product had been opened