Basmati Rice

Basmati Rice: Goodness and Richness associated with it

Basmati Rice is regarded as the Queen of all rice with long grain and a mesmerizing smell. It was mainly originated from Sylhet in Bangladesh and is quite famous all over the world. It is now popularly cultivated in Pakistan and north central India. It is one of the most important ingredients in Indian cuisines that are used for making various delicious delicacies. Now, it is a well known ingredient used by renowned chefs all over the world. Available in various flavors and varieties, this rice is used for cooking different cuisines like Biriyani, pulao, pilafs or even as plain boiled rice.

Facts associated with Basmati:

• In India, basmati production in the year of 2010 was nearly 6.5 million tons.
• 95% of the total cultivation of basmati in Pakistan, in the year 2010 was in Punjab.
• Haryana is considered as the major place in India which cultivate maximum amount of basmati that is more than 60%.
• Among different flavors and varieties that are available, the Karnal belt basmati is well known for its premium quality and exotic aroma.

Types of basmati available in both India and Pakistan

As mentioned earlier, though originated in Bangladesh, but India and Pakistan are well known for cultivating some of the finest quality Basmati Rice that are imported all over the world. There are different varieties that are available and some of those are super Basmati, Basmati 270, Kasturi, Safidon, Basmati 198, Pusa, Suganda, Ranbir, Mahi and more.

Ways to cultivate Basmati

Mainly there are two types of rice that are available. One is short grain and another one is the long grain. The environments for both of these are entirely different. Basmati is the long grain rice and are well cultivated in equatorial climate. It prefers hot weather condition. The places where one can find low labor cost and good rainfall are ideal for its cultivation. It needs a lot of water for irrigational purposes.

Nutritional value

There are various important vitamins and minerals that are present in it. These are good for health and people must consume an appropriate amount of Basmati to stay healthy. Some nutritional values are mentioned below:

• Carbohydrates: 35gm of carbohydrate can be found in each serving of this food product. The content of fiber is normally less than 1gm in white basmati and for the brown one, the amount is little high.
• Sugar: Sugar contain is quite less and in some cases, it does not contain any.
• Calories: When the amount of calories is concern, then it is better to state than one serving of this rice is equal to 150 calories.
• Protein: Each serving comprises of 3g of protein
• Fat: Basmati is generally low in fat and even less than 1 g.
• Vitamin: This food item can be stated as one of the best sources of niacin and thiamine which are good for energy metabolism.

Thus, from the above mentioned discussion, it can be concluded by saying that Basmati Rice is a complete meal in itself. With good nutritional values and easy cooking methods, it is healthy and at the same time tasty.