Akash

Akash is a basmati label sold in the larger sack sizes that South Asian families and small restaurants rely on. Basmati is the long, slender aromatic rice grown in the foothills of the Himalayas across India and Pakistan, prized for grains that lengthen as they cook and a fragrance that fills the kitchen.

We carry Akash in our basmati rice collection, part of basmati and long grain rice in the rice and grains department. The range is kept to family sacks, for homes where a pot of rice goes on most days and guests are never turned away hungry.

Basmati is the rice for Punjabi jeera rice, matar pulao, Hyderabadi and Lucknowi biryani, and plain steamed rice with rajma or chole. Bangladeshi and Pakistani families cook it into yakhni pulao with stock, and many British Asian households serve it with a Sunday chicken curry. For biryani, partly boil the rice before layering it with the meat, and for pulao, fry the soaked grains in ghee with whole spices before adding the water.

Rinse basmati several times and soak it for half an hour so the grains extend without breaking. Store the sack sealed, off the floor, and away from strong smells, which rice absorbs. Cooked basmati should be cooled quickly and kept in the fridge if it is not eaten the same day. To compare, browse our sella basmati rice and the Kohinoor shelf.