Varieties in Indian rice is an exhaustive list. Kolam rice is preferred in the South India whereas Basmati is the King rice in the North of India. The length of the grain in Basmati and other varieties is of importance as after cooking the grain elongates or puffs up. The quantity of water has to be estimated well during cooking in a rice cooker or pressure cooker. Soaked rice accelerates the cooking procedure. Brown rice is recommended by dieticians as it is loaded with fiber.

Steamed rice is the best of all as the nutrients are well preserved. Blended with roasted jeera or khada masala, the flavouring adds a beautiful hue to the same. South recipes in rice are mild and regularly adopted in households. It is to be noted that rice digests soon and one feels hungry sooner. The best for a tropical hot climate, Indian rice varieties allow a lot of experimentation in culinary instincts.

Indian food recipes in rice relate to the state. Tiffin items from South India include Pongal preparations in jaggery rice and the lentil-rice mix garnished with dry fruits. Lemon rice is a simple meal of boiled rice garnished with lemon juice and topped with roasted mustard seeds, curry leaves and a little garnish of coriander. Served with curd this amounts to a filling meal. Coconut rice as the name suggests refers to fried coconut rice with a little roasted mustard and fenugreek seeds. Sweeter version of the nariyali baath or coconut rice comes from Maharashtra and is delicious meal.

Steamed jeera rice is nothing but rice steamed alongwith roasted jeera in ghee. For a simple but appetizing look, throw in a few cloves, tej patta, whole cardmom roasted in pure ghee with a little cashews and raisins as topping. Serve the same with tomato saar and roasted papad. Plain rice cooking is an art in getting the routine rice cooked and not over cooked. This can be teamed with lentil curries or other liquid curries to be mixed and eaten alongwith other vegetables for a complete meal. Rice can never be wasted, left over rice can be stored overnight in thick curd and becomes a delicious mid-morning meal. One can definitely enhance the taste with toppings. If you are pressed for time to cook and eat, boil rice or use left over rice and top it over with some spices. One can fry the rice in a little oil alongwith pre roasted mustard seeds, curry leaves, a pinch of turmeric and chilly powder.

Biryani is cooked slowly with choicest vegetables over the stove. Urban cooking methods can also be adopted to cook Biryani in a microwave. It is essential to soak the Basmati for pulav and biryani for atleast half an hour and then cook it with a little milk to get a nice aroma. The spices need to be fresh and few to get the taste right. Adding salt to any food is an experts job. Pea pulav is simple to make. Intercontinental styles are easy to adopt with corn and capsicum pulav or a simple spring onion-carrot rice. One can Indianize the Chinese fried rice to go along with an Indian curry. Sweet rice is popular with children.

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