Grain of the Week - 48 and 49 Par boiled Rice

While parboiled might sound like the rice has been precooked and sold in packets which is just heated to eat. It is not. It is a method of how rice is processed. Parboiled rice is made by a process by which the rice with the hull is soaked, steamed and dried after which the hull is removed.

Most parboiled rice is usually pale yellow or amber colored. This kind of rice is nutritionally superior to the completely polished white rice. Not all parboiled rice are made the same. The long grain par boiled rice bought in the US is different from the ponni parboiled rice. The cooked rice is single and separate but it certainly is no Basmati rice.

Though the rice is called parboiled it cannot be used for some of the recipes that call for par boiled rice like idlies. The rice when soaked and blended becomes a bit slimy. It can be salvaged with the addition of some cooked rice or soaked beaten rice which is what we did when we did not have the luxury of ponni parboiled rice or idli rice.

Soaking the rice for about 20-30 minutes before cooking the rice makes it cook faster and fluffier. In a pinch I have used parboiled along with idli rice to make idli batter but they won't work just by itself.

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