Rice · Rice · Short entry

Basmati

Aromatic long-grain rice from the Indo-Gangetic plain at the foot of the Himalaya. "Basmati" names a group of cultivars and a geographical indication — claimed by both India and Pakistan — rather than a single variety.

Basmati — representative grain study, polished, not to scale. Appearance alone does not establish variety or protected origin.

The scent of basmati

Basmati and jasmine rice share a key aroma compound, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline — the same molecule that gives pandan leaves and freshly baked bread crust part of their smell. Its presence is linked to a non-functional form of a gene called BADH2.

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BasmatiGrains drawn at approximate typical milled dimensions; the grid is 1 mm. Lots vary by cultivar, harvest and milling.

What the name means: A group of cultivars
Species: Oryza sativa
Group: Aromatic (basmati group)
Length: Long grain · ≈ 7.2 mm
Width: ≈ 1.8 mm
Length : width: 4.0
Amylose: Intermediate amylose
Aromatic: ✓
Cooked texture: Dry, separate, slender grains that lengthen markedly on cooking, more than they swell.
Cooking: Cooked by absorption, or boiled in plenty of water and drained (the pilau and biryani traditions differ).
Water: absorption, or excess water drained

The grain laboratory

How it connects

Place

grown in Punjab (India & Pakistan) In preparation

Rice

Recipe

made with Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani
made with Jollof rice with chicken
made with Kedgeree
made with Chelow with tahdig