Jeera Kolam Rice (Tandul)

Kolam rice with a fine short grain, called jeera kolam because the raw grain looks like a cumin seed. It cooks light and separate, and that is why so many Maharashtrian and Gujarati households keep it as the everyday rice instead of something saved for visitors.

The paddy is grown by our own farmer members around Ahmednagar, on vermicompost made at our cowshed and plant. We mill it in small quantities and skip the wholesale market completely, so what you open is one variety and not a blend of three.

In the kitchen

One cup of rice to roughly two cups of water gives fluffy grains that stay loose in the vessel. This is the rice for daily varan bhaat, for dal khichdi, for curd rice on a hot afternoon, and it soaks up an amti made with toor dal without turning to paste. Leftovers reheat cleanly the next morning, which cannot be said of every rice on the shelf.

Pack sizes

1kg, 2kg, 3kg, 4kg and 5kg. Keep it in a dry container with a couple of bay leaves and it will hold right through the monsoon. Rice ages well, and a bag kept a few months tends to cook a shade drier and fluffier than brand new grain.

For something softer and aromatic try our ambemohor rice, or work through all our rice varieties.

Frequently asked questions

Why is it called jeera kolam

Because the grain is small and slender like a jeera seed. The name describes size and shape only, there is no cumin anywhere in the rice.

Is kolam rice good for daily use

It is the standard weekday rice in plenty of Maharashtrian homes. The grains stay separate, the taste is mild, and it sits well beside dal, curd and heavier curries without competing with them.

How much water should I use for kolam rice

Two parts water to one part rice in an open pot, or slightly less with two whistles in a cooker. Let the pot rest five minutes off the heat before you open and fluff it.