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In
the Kitchen with
At the Movies with
Seeking Health with
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The Prince of Rice By Linda Joyce Forristal, CCP, MTA A tiny-grained rice called Kalijira is the perfect choice for the busy cook. I adore Kalijira, sometimes called the "prince of rice" or govindabog. It is my rice of choice. This tiny-grained rice is like a baby basmati. Revered by the Moghuls who built the Taj Mahal, it was reserved for honored guests. Even though it's small, it's really considered a long-grain rice because its length-to-width ratio is 3:1. Due to its diminutive size, it's very quick-cooking and can be done in as little as ten minutes--perfect for moms with busy lives (like me and you) or for entertaining.
Kalijira, and several other kinds of heirloom rice varieties, are imported by Lotus Foods headquartered in California. At a recent conference, I got owner Ken Lee to pose with a bag of white kalijira (left) and Ken's new introduction--brown kalijira. Tip: Of all places, I have found Kalijira rice at Target. It is sold there as Baby Basmati rice under their Archer Farms brand. It is wonderful and a great substitute if you can't find the one from Lotus Foods.
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A rainbow of rice is available today,
but tiny-grained Kalijira (upper left hand corner) is one of the best.
Although Kalijira is an ancient rice, it has only recently
become available in the United States. In metropolitan areas, it is sold in
gourmet stores like Sutton Place Gourmet, Dean & Deluca/Balducci's, and Whole Foods but otherwise it is neigh impossible to find.