Basmati Rice: The Highly Aromatic Variety Of Rice

Rice grains have many varieties and differentiation. Basmati is a kind of numerous varieties of rice. It characterises grains of long and slender in appearance with a beautiful aroma. Also, as per the policies of the government of India, a rice variety would be considered basmati if the length and breadth of minimum average precooked milled rice are 6.61 millimetres and 2 millimetres respectively, among other parameters.
Traditional Basmati rice is highly grown in India and accounts for the international trade of 65 per cent globally. Though basmati rice is also cultivated domestically in few countries, yet certain districts of India are geographically exclusive for the cultivation of this rice. These States includes Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Iran, UAE and Saudi Arabia are the important destinations where India exports its basmati rice production.

Features of Basmati Rice
Basmati rice possesses a chemical compound called 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline. This chemical compound is an aroma compound that bears odour and provides the basmati rice with its customary smell. This rice variety is applied in dishes like biryani, pilaf, rajma chawal etc for the beautiful aroma it creates after being infused with spices.
The basmati rice is differentiated from other rice varieties depending upon certain factors like its shape and size, the moisture content of the grain, the whiteness in its overall appearance and most importantly the aroma and taste it provides after being cooked. The price of the rice kernels is also determined based on these factors.
Basmati rice in itself bears a number of varieties and these nutritional values differ in different varieties. The approximate nutritional values in 1 cup or 163 grams of cooked basmati rice are 4.4 grams of protein, 0.5 grams of fat, 45.6 grams of carbohydrate, the fibre of 0.7 grams and 210 calories. Percentage of nutritional elements in the daily values are-
• Iron- 11%
• Vitamin B6- 9%
• Phosphorus - 6%
• Magnesium - 5%
• Zinc- 7%
• Copper- 12%

Selecting the Right Basmati Rice
Basmati rice has a lot of varieties; some popular variants are as follows -
1. Organic Basmati- Organic basmati rice is considered the best variant and most demanded. This basmati rice contains low fat, higher calorific value and is quite a good source of energy. Organic basmati rice is also rich in protein and vitamin. As the name suggests, organic basmati rice is grown without any chemicals and harmful pesticides.
2. Brown Basmati- Rich in fibre, brown basmati rice is highly recommended by nutritionists. It is an unrefined variety of basmati rice. It is good for people with type 2 diabetes.
3. White Sella- The speciality of this variety is it doesn't get stuck together after cooking and also doubles in size post-cooking. The white sella basmati rice kernels are aged and thus have low moisture content.
4. Steam Basmati- It is the most easily available variety of basmati rice. It is also highly aromatic and increases in volume after being cooked.

Conclusion
Be it any occasion basmati rice would always be the most demanded and accepted rice grain. Any dishes prepared with the enriching and engulfing aroma and flavour of basmati rice takes the whole culinary preparation to an edge. There are many producer and supplier of basmati rice and its varieties. The reputed traditional basmati rice suppliers provide packaging sizes ranging from 25 to 100 kilograms and in eco-friendly jute bags.