Unpolished Basmati Rice 1kg (Tandul)

Unpolished basmati rice, one kilogram, long grain with the bran left in place. It smells like basmati and looks nothing like the glossy white rice sold under that name.

Why it is not white

Polishing is a cosmetic step. Leave it out and the grain keeps a beige coat, a firmer bite and a fuller aroma. The smell in basmati comes from the grain itself and not from the polish, so none of it is lost by skipping that stage.

Getting it right on the stove

Soak forty five minutes with no shortcuts. Drain, cook in an open pot with plenty of water, then strain it while the grain still has resistance in the middle. Handled that way it works for pulao, jeera rice, a vegetable biryani, or plain tandul next to dal. Grains elongate less than polished basmati and they stay separate as long as you leave them alone.

Pack and keeping

Sold as a single one kilogram pack. Keep it airtight in a dry cupboard and use it within a few months, since the bran holds oil. Grown by our farmer members with vermicompost, no bleaching and no middleman between the field and the pack.

Many customers keep Indrayani next to this for daily meals and jeera kolam for lighter fare. Everything sits in the rice section.

Frequently asked questions

Does unpolished basmati elongate on cooking

It lengthens, though less dramatically than the polished kind, because the bran holds the grain in. A long soak helps. What you lose in length comes back as bite and smell.

Is brown rice the same as unpolished basmati

Brown rice is any rice with the bran left on, so this is one kind of it. The difference here is the variety, a long aromatic grain instead of a short one. It also cooks faster than most brown rice because the grain is slim.

Can I cook this in a pressure cooker

Yes. Soak it first, use two parts water to one of rice and give it two whistles. A cooker is fine for everyday eating.