Scope

The staple food of India is rice. Up until 1970, India was home to nearly 1,10,000 varieties of indegenous rice! Thanks, but no thanks to the Green Revolution, only 6,000 varieties now remain – a result of the green revolution’s emphasis on mono culture and hybrid cropping! Be that as it may, India is known for its sheer variety of rice dishes that are prepared and served, no matter what the occasion – sickness, health, family gathering, festivities, Hindu rituals, offering (naivedya or prasad), weddings, funerals, even as offerings to ancestors and departed souls.

Rice 4 is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or Oryza glaberrima (African rice). As a cereal grain, it is the most widely consumed staple food for a large part of the world’s human population, especially in Asia. Rice is the most important grain with regard to human nutrition and caloric intake, providing more than one-fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by humans.

Rice cultivation is well-suited to countries and regions with low labor costs and high rainfall, as it is labor-intensive to cultivate and requires ample water. However, rice can be grown practically anywhere, even on a steep hill or mountain area with the use of water-controlling terrace systems.

Etymologically, the word ‘rice’ is derived from the Tamil word arisi. Indian rice cultivars include long- grained and aromatic Basmati (grown in the North), long and medium-grained Patna rice, and in South India (Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka) short-grained Sona Masuri (also called as Bangaru theegalu). In the state of Tamil Nadu, the most prized variety is the ponni which is primarily grown in the delta regions of the Kaveri River. In the Western Indian state of Maharashtra, a short grain variety called Ambemohar is very popular. This rice has a characteristic fragrance of the mango blossom.

Ingredient and Process of Cooking

Rice is typically rinsed before cooking to remove excess starch. Rice may be rinsed repeatedly until the rinse water is clear to improve the texture and taste. Rice may be soaked to decrease cooking time, conserve fuel, minimize exposure to high temperature, and reduce stickiness. Rice may be soaked for 30 minutes up to several hours. Rice is cooked by boiling or steaming, and absorbs water during cooking. Almost all rice recipes in the Bhaga Shastra indicate draining out starch after cooking, before further procedures of making a variety of tasty dishes is followed.

A basic preparation of rice is very simple and easy. However, the procedures to turn them into tasty dishes make it an elaborate affair, as the wide variety of rice dishes described in the recipes below will testify. When combined with milk, jaggery, and honey, it is used to make desserts.Rice, Festive Food, Sweets, Desserts, Lunch, Dinner, A basic preparation of rice is very simple and easy. However, the procedures to turn them into tasty dishes make it an elaborate affair, as the wide variety of rice dishes described in the recipes below will testify. When combined with milk, jaggery, and honey, it is used to make desserts.

Following ingredients are required for making Dal Soup (Kuzhambu) Rice :

  • To Cook Dal:
  • Water – 2 padi
  • Pigeon Pea – 1/4 padi
  • Ghee or Gingely Oil – 1/2 palam
  • Turmeric Powder – 1/8 palam
  • Rice – 1/2 padi
  • To Roast & Grind:
  • Red Chilly – 1/2 palam
  • Coriander seed – 1/2 palam
  • Pepper – 1/4 palam
  • Cumin seed – 1/8 palam
  • Fenugreek Seed – 1/16 palam
  • Black Gram – 1 palam
  • Nutmeg – 1/8 palam
  • Mace – 1/8 palam
  • Clove – 1/8 palam
  • Cinnamon – 1/8 palam
  • To Make Tamarind Paste:
  • Tamarind – 3 palam
  • Water – 1/4 padi
  • Salt – 1½ palam
  • Ghee Or Gingely oil – 3 palam
  • To make Masala paste:
  • Grated Dry Coconut – 4 palam
  • Rice Flour – 1/2 palam
  • Water – 1/8 padi
  • To Temper:
  • Ghee or Gingelly Oil – 3 palam
  • Red Chilly – 1/8 palam
  • Mustard seed – 1/4 palam
  • Black Gram – 1/2 palam
  • Asafoetida – 1/8 r.e
  • Curry Leaves – 1/4 palam
  • 1. Take a vessel (that can hold 4 pads of water ) and heat the water. When it boils add the pigeon pea, ghee or gingelly oil, turmeric powder and close it with a lid.
  • 2. Soak the rice for 24 minutes. After that clean it and strain the water completely.
  • 3. Roast the ingredients one by one separately with little ghee or gingelly oil. Then make it into a fine powder using a mortar .
  • 4. When the dal is cooked nicely add the cleaned rice and mix it gently. When it boils add the above powder, mix it and close it with a lid.
  • 5. Take a lead coated vessel, add the tamarind and water. Squeeze the tamarind as much u can and extract the juice out of it. Discard the seed and pulp. Take the crystal salt and powder it. Add it to the tamarind juice. Also add some ghee or gingelly oil and boil the tamarind juice till it becomes solid like paste.
  • 6. When the rice gets cooked to 3/4th add the tamarind paste and stir it using a lead coated spoon and turn off the stove. Close the vessel with a lid.
  • 7. Take the grated dry coconut, rice flour in a mortar and make it into a paste using water. Mix the paste to rice and again cover it.
  • 8. Take a skillet and add ghee or gingelly oil. Let it be heated. Add red chilly, mustard seeds,black gram and temper based on the way prescribed in recipe no. 22 (Seasoning recipe) Then add crushed solid asafoetida and curry leaves to the above mixture. When the spluttering sound completely stops add the tempering to the rice and mix gently and serve.

References

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