Basmati Rice

Basmati is a long grain rice grown in the Punjab of India and Pakistan, aged after harvest so the grains dry out and cook longer and firmer. The name comes from the Hindi for fragrant, and the aroma of good basmati is part of why it leads the plate at weddings, Eid and Sunday lunch. Brokens, the shorter pieces left after milling, are handy for kheer, khichdi and rice for small children.

Grades matter more than most shoppers expect. Extra long grades are selected for length and cook to fine, needle thin strands, the choice for biryani and a party pulao. Everyday or original grades are a little shorter and suit dal chawal and jeera rice. Aged basmati, stored for a year or more before packing, absorbs water evenly and breaks less, so it is worth choosing for dum cooking, and Daawat is one name that labels its ageing clearly.

If you want a parboiled grain that holds up in a large pot, look at sella basmati, and for a softer Thai style rice try jasmine rice, both found with basmati under basmati and long grain rice. For dum biryani, parboil soaked basmati until it is about seventy per cent cooked, drain it, then layer it over the meat so the grain finishes in the trapped steam.