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That is unfortunate about cashews, but I'm jealous to read of the choice of rice varieties - it's a funny world! In the UK I think I'd have a hard time getting
by OJFord 3y ago
That is unfortunate about cashews, but I'm jealous to read of the choice of rice varieties - it's a funny world!
In the UK I think I'd have a hard time getting anything other than generic 'basmati' (which afaict just means Oryza sativa indica - it could be IR24, what you're calling basmati, anything else in the subspecies, or some blend with the yield & shelf-life & availability properties they wanted) that would be at all suitable for (my attempt at/interpretation of) 'Indian' food.
Whatever it is I suppose I subconsciously agree it's bland - I tend to cook it with some rai/jeera/ilaayachi/laung depending.
(Edit -) It just occurred to me that the cashew issue is probably not helped that they're hardly cheap here, largely eaten as a snack (roasted & salted) on their own - which supports a higher price, I suppose, than more common use as more of an ingredient (e.g. kaju katri, ground up in creamy dishes) in India.
- brmgb 3y ago> In the UK I think I'd have a hard time getting anything other than generic 'basmati' It’s relatively easy to find any kind of rice in countries with significant East Asian diaspora like England provided you are ready to buy largish quantity (10kg). It’s highly likely there is an Asian market near you with a surprisingly large selection of rices (not necessarily on display) and which can get you other kinds if you order. It definitely is more involved than going to Tesco but far from impossible.
- OJFord 3y agoI do buy in 5-10kg bags (but admittedly takes me much longer to work through than it would an East Asian family) I've just never seen it specify a variety. Just different brands of 'basmati' (which as I said I think is used more generically here than it is up thread).