Rice favored by Indians who eat with their hands

Hi,

Thanks to ReneG, here is a video of how to eat with hands. If you forward to 2:00, they are really getting into action.



For Culinary Historians, we are serving a dish from northeast India, bordering on Burma, where a sticky type rice is required. It is not Jasmine or Basmati, though I am not sure a sticky rice is required, either. It is rice just clumpy enough to eat with your hands.

At Patel this weekend, a manager indicated he knew what I wanted, though they did not offer it. He suggested a rice with a brand name 'Red Rose.'

I am hoping someone may know what I am looking for, despite my vague idea of what it may be. Is there a special method of cooking or will a fuzzy logic rice cooker handle it?

Thanks for any advice offered.

Regards,

Well since they are speaking Tamil, that is very close to Kerala where Frank is from. Each part of India has its own rice it likes.
They do not necessarily use sticky rice although you would think with the way they eat they would. This looks like my mother in laws kitchen although things were not low on the ground, they were higher. She had 2 kitchens, a western one and an Indian one like this. They ate on conventional plates because they were westernized but fed the servants on the banana leaves.

Hi Toria,

Maybe Frank can comment on what is used by his family. While my interest is related to those who live in NE India, which rice is favored in various locations is interesting.

Regards,

I will ask him. South Indians like Sona Masuri rice. They do not cook their rice by the evaporation method but boil it and strain it. There is also something called red rice or rose matta. Traditional basmati rice is popular but his family even uses Uncle Bens. (not minute rice).

Hi,

I stopped in at Spicy Bites Indian Cafe in Vernon Hills today.

I inquired with the owner what type of rice may be eaten in northeast India. She immediately recognized this is a region where rice is heavily present in the diet.

There was a bit of puzzlement when I framed my question thus: "For Indians who eat their food with their fingers, what type of rice do they use?" Her immediate reaction was any rice would do. When I suggested Jasmine and Basmati rice might not be suitable, she offered, "Any rice can be a sticky rice, if it is overcooked."

Overcooked as in over saturated in water. She boils all her rice, including Basmati. She tests rice doneness by pulling out a few grains to chew on. If she wishes it to be sticky, she boils it two minutes beyond done.

As we concluded our conversation, she suggested, "Simply buy the sticky rice and make it to instructions. It will make your life easier."

139 East Townline Road, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
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I've recently changed my rice-cooking habits. When I cook rice for anything Latino, I sauté it, then cook it in 1.6x water to rice volume. But for Indian and other Asian, I've found that boiling it just as if it were noodles is a most excellent method. But you have to be vigilant: it overcooks quickly, so taste, taste, taste.

I learned this from a wizard cook, Indian friend of mine. She uses the 'overcook' method mentioned above to make the rice sticky.

[Of course some of you will immediately retort: "Geo, get yourself a rice cooker!" ]

Geo

HI,

I chickened out today and bought some Korean rice, which has a sticky quality.

I am going to try the boiled method.

The only time a rice cooker ever disappointed me: I had just bought new crop rice. I used my regular ratio of water to rice, which was far to much for new crop rice. I had congee instead of rice or even sticky rice.

Regards,

Patel Bros sells Ponni Rice from south India that may suit your needs. That or Sona Mussorie would be your best bets.

I do agree that Basmati or Jasmine are not really 'correct' for south Indian dishes. The rice is never sticky enough to eat with sambar and rasam. And moreover, Pongal etc never feel right when cooked with Basmati.

The other hack is to use regular Arkansas rice but cook it with a little extra water. I am going to be making Pongal, the dish, this wknd (Pongal, the festival (yes they are both called Pongal), was yesterday) and I will be doing this method.