Basmati rice

[Questor]

I just tried cooking up some basmati rice. Man, that's the best. Spendy, for sure. About $3 per pound, but such good texture. Do you have a favorite application for it?

[Brett]

Basmati is the best.  In addition to it's nice texture it has a nice nutty taste to it and is very aromatic.  I make a rice dish with dried raisins, dried cranberries, diced apple, toasted almonds, and spices that my wife just loves.  I also use it to make Chinese style fried rice.   Also works great served plain with chili, beef tips and gravy or chicken and gravy.       

[Questor]

TM7:

How do you cook that Texmati brown? Does it come out fluffy like good basmati rice? I've never had any luck with brown rice. It always comes out either too mealy or too mushy. I've had good brown rice and prefer it for health reasons when I can get it, but I've just never found a good way to cook it.

[Foxxtrot]

Costco has a 25lb bag of jasmine for $15 - Elephant brand from India. I also like this stuff.

http://www.carolinaplantationrice.com/detail.aspx?ID=10

[mcwoodduck]

I use Bismati for almost everything.
My favorite is:
a little olive oil in a pan.  add some onions diced and some crushed garlic.  a little kosher salt and get the onions cooking.  I also add red bell peppers and then add the rice 1 cup ( not washed) stir the rice to coat with the oil in the pan.  A casn of chicken stock, pop on the lid and toss it in the oven for 20 min.  Just the right time to grill a couple of ribeye steaks and some greenery.  when the steaks are resting.  About 5 min take the rice out of the oven stir with a fork to fluff and serve.
Also on hunting trips I use some oil in the pot coat the 1 cup of rice and dump in 2 cups of H2O and one Knorr chicken bullion cube.  MMM Buttery and cook for 15 min at boil.

[Questor]

TM7:

Thanks. That worked. I got some of the Texmati brown rice and tried it tonight according to your instructions and it worked great. It was fluffy and not mushy or sticky.

I see the Texmati brown as a type of good quality brown long grain rice rather than as a basmati rice. But the important thing is that I now have a way of cooking brown rice that really works well. We'll be eating more of it.

I like brown rice for the nutritional aspects. Removing the outside as is done in the processing of white rice is so much like removing the nutritious part of the wheat to make white bread.

[rockbilly]

We usually buy the Basmati rice in 25 pound bags at Sam's club. Being about half "coonass" I am addicted to rice, we eat it often,  Just a word of warning though, most of the Basmati rice comes from India, Thiland, or Viet Nam, wherever it comes from it should be washed well before cooking. No you don't need to put it in the washing machine, we usually par-boil and rinse well afterwards, drain, then cook.  Most of this type rice is processed in areas that are infested with rats, if you know anything about rats then you should know rats normally eat what they want then pee on what is left.  I don't really think you will catch anything from not washing........I just have a thing about rat pee.

Try a big plate of Basmati rice topped with butter, (real butter) two-three eggs over easy, a plater of good sausage........might as well throw in a cup of coffee and a coupe of hot biscuits too round it off.  If that ain't grocerys, then I ain't a Texan!