Ingredient: Rice - Basmati rice
Category: Rice
Season: All
Basmati is a variety of long grain rice, famous for its fragrance and delicate flavour.
Its name means "the fragrant one" in Hindi, but it can also mean the "soft rice".
India is the largest cultivator and exporter of this rice, followed by Pakistan and Bangladesh with the causes of paddy field farming
The grains of basmati rice are much longer than they are wide , and they grow even longer as they cook.
They stay firm and separate, not sticky, after cooking .
Basmati rice is available both as a white rice and a brown rice .
Brown rice takes longer to cook than white, about 30 minutes as opposed to 20 .
Due to the high amount of starch clinging to the rice grains , many cooks wash this rice before cooking it. Soaking it for half an hour to two hours before cooking makes the grains less likely to break during cooking.
Flavour
Basmati rice has a typical pandan-like (Pandanus amaryllifolius leaf) flavour caused by the aroma compound 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, giving a delicate flavour.
DNA markers thwart basmati adulteration
Basmati rice is a special type of aromatic rice known the world over for its extra long grains , and pleasant and distinct aroma.
Traditional basmati rice is not only in demand in its domestic markets , but is also seen in the menu of connoisseurs world wide creating a billion-dollar export market.
Authentic basmati rice cultivation is confined to regions along the Indus river in Pakistan and the Indo-Gangetic plains of the Indian sub-continent.
Consumer preference for the traditional basmati label not only brings along high returns but also receives duty exemption in some markets.
Evolved basmati varieties developed by breeders to adopt intensive cultivation fell short of quality traits of traditional basmati and hence fetch a lower price.
In addition, the rice market also has relatively inferior non-aromatic long grain rice varieties .
Difficulty in differentiating genuine traditional basmati from pretenders and the significant price difference between them has led fraudulent traders to adulterate traditional basmati.
To protect the interests of consumers and trade, a PCR-based assay similar to DNA fingerprinting in humans allows for the detection of adulterated and non-basmati strains.
Its detection limit for adulteration is from 1% upwards with an error rate of ±1.5%.
Exporters of basmati rice use 'purity certificates' based on DNA tests for their basmati rice consignments. |