Do you know that Indian Basmati has moderate Glycemic Index between 56 and 62 and is quite suitable for diabetics if used appropriately and not processed to cook faster, longer or whiter.
Rice isn’t just a white cereal that we are used to having. Nor is it a health scare like some portray it as. It is an important food crop and has helped civilisations to survive and thrive when we move eastwards from India to right uptill Japan. Most important biological aspect for you to know about rice is this – Rice is a variety of grass. A lot of what we eat and enjoy the most actually comes from grasses. Wheat is a grass, sugarcane is a grass. Rice has harder stem and different leaf peel than other grasses like wheat. Th is because, naturally, rice as a grass is adapted to grow in standing water and survive. Next time when you are near any water body, you can try to feel the leaves of grasses growing nearby. These will be relatively hard and sharp leaves that can cause a cut in your hand if you are not careful. Rice leaves are as sharp with a fairly strong stem that helps a rice plant hold the weight of paddy which gives us Rice after the husk is removed.
Rice is rich in carbohydrates and carbs are part of any cereal we have be it wheat or millets. Broadly, carbs can be from sugarcane which are very simple, easy to digest and we love the taste!! Or carbs can come from millets which are more complex. Within each crop, there are many variations so rice to rice, carbs differ in complexity and health impact. Indian Basmati rice is on lower side of Glycemic Index(56 to 62) than even wheat flour so it is healthier to eat basmati rice than have chapatis made from Khapli wheat. Combine your rice with pulses to make our beloved khichdi. It is perhaps healthy instant food ever known.
Our Rice Varieties We grow quite a few Rice varieties. We have tried to grow 8 different varieties on our farm. Three of these (Tarawadi, 1121, 1509 ) are primarily grown in our region and rest were from different parts of India. And the feather in our cap is Tarawadi Basmati. Tarawadi is one of the original traditional varieties of Basmati Rice. It is said that when Yamuna waters rose during monsoons, Tarawardi seeds used to sprout on their own in the adjoining jungles. Tarawadi comes with a GI tag and our farm falls in the same geography of ancient Yamuna floodplains. During the rice cultivation season, tarawadi fields fill the air with their aroma, it is amazing to be around them.
Tarawadi is amongst the best basmati in the world because of its powerful and sweet Basmati Aroma which will make your neighbors wonder when aroma floats in air. Tarawadi is also light on digestion, easily cooked and has a low glycemic Index.
1121 is a variety created by Pusa which is very popular in gulf and suitable for biryani type cooking. In usually labelled basmatis that you would normally get in any store, 1121 is highest variety you are likely to get and it will be mostly mentioned on label if pack has 1121. 1509 is another short duration variety.
How we price our Rice
Tarawadi yields about 30% less than 1121 and other rice varieties yield about 2 times more than Tarawadi. Since all other costs of cultivation and processing are fixed, our price for all the varieties is derived from a simple formula. Reason of price difference is just this yield per acre.
Sanesa Basmati’s are grown by traditional methods, with no outside inputs going to the plant, It is the most natural Basmati you can get.
