Dildaar

Dildaar Sona Masoori is the medium-grain rice that most South Indian households cook every day. The grains are shorter and lighter than basmati, they cook soft, and they take up whatever goes on top of them instead of competing with it, which is exactly what is wanted under sambar, rasam or a curry. This is the full 10kg household sack.

Best for

• Everyday steamed rice with sambar, rasam and curries
• Curd rice, lemon rice and pulihora
• Pongal, and batter for idli and dosa

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times until the water runs mostly clear. Sona masoori carries more surface starch than aged basmati and turns gluey if you skip this. In a pressure cooker, use one cup of rice to two cups of water and cook for three whistles, then let the pressure fall on its own rather than releasing it. In an open pot, boil one cup of rice in four cups of water until the grains are soft and drain the excess. Fluff with a fork; stirring with a spoon mashes the grain.

Pack and storage

10kg sack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening. Decant into an airtight container and keep it off the floor; a couple of dried bay leaves in the container is the usual way to keep weevils out.

Dildaar Extra Long Basmati is long-grain aromatic rice selected for grain length, which is the thing that matters in a biryani where every grain has to stay separate and visible. Cooked properly the grains stretch out, stay firm at the centre and do not clump together. The aroma shows itself in the pot and settles as the rice rests. This is the 5kg pack.

Best for

• Dum biryani, where separate grains matter most
• Pulao, jeera rice and fried rice
• Plain steamed rice alongside a rich gravy

How to cook it

Rinse gently until the water runs clear, then soak for twenty to thirty minutes; soaking is what lets a long grain elongate instead of snapping. For plain rice, use one cup of rice to one and a half cups of water, bring it to a boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for twelve minutes, then rest it ten minutes off the heat before lifting the lid. For biryani, parboil in plenty of salted water to about seventy per cent, drain, layer and finish on dum. Separate the grains with a fork, never a spoon.

Pack and storage

5kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening. Keep it airtight and away from strong-smelling spices, as basmati takes up other aromas readily.

Dildaar Extra-Long Basmati in the 10kg sack is for kitchens that cook rice most days, or cook for a crowd. It is long-grain aromatic rice chosen for grain length: the grains elongate as they cook, hold their shape, and stay loose rather than sticking, which is what separates a proper biryani from a pot of savoury rice.

Best for

• Biryani and pulao for large gatherings
• Everyday steamed rice with curries and dal
• Fried rice and jeera rice

How to cook it

Wash the measured quantity gently until the water clears, then soak for twenty to thirty minutes before cooking. On the stove, one cup of soaked rice to one and a half cups of water, brought to a boil then covered on the lowest heat for twelve minutes, gives separate grains; leave it to stand another ten minutes before opening. For biryani, parboil to roughly seventy per cent in heavily salted water, drain well, layer over the meat and cook sealed on low heat. Always fork the rice apart rather than stirring it.

Pack and storage

10kg sack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening. Move what you are using into an airtight container and keep the rest of the sack closed, away from damp and away from spices whose aroma it will pick up.

Dildaar Basmati Extra Long supplied as a pack of two, for households that get through rice steadily and would rather not reorder every few weeks. It is the same long-grain aromatic rice as the single packs: grains that elongate on cooking, stay separate and firm, and carry a clear aroma that comes through in plain rice as much as in biryani.

Best for

• Biryani and pulao
• Everyday steamed rice with dal and curries
• Jeera rice and fried rice

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear and soak for twenty to thirty minutes, which is what allows a long grain to lengthen rather than break. For plain rice, one cup of rice to one and a half cups of water, boiled then covered on the lowest heat for twelve minutes, with ten minutes of resting before the lid comes off. For biryani, parboil to about seventy per cent in salted water, drain, and finish layered on low heat. Loosen the cooked rice with a fork.

Pack and storage

Supplied as a pack of two. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, and leave the second pack unopened until it is needed. Keep rice airtight and away from strong spices, whose aroma basmati absorbs easily.

Damaged packaging – 20% off. This 10kg sack of Dildaar Extra-Long Basmati has damaged outer packaging, so we are selling it at a reduced price. Limited stock – only while it lasts.

Dildaar Extra-Long Basmati is long-grain aromatic rice chosen for grain length: the grains elongate as they cook, hold their shape, and stay loose rather than sticking.

Best for

• Biryani and pulao for large gatherings
• Everyday steamed rice with curries and dal
• Fried rice and jeera rice

Pack and storage

10kg sack. Because the outer bag is damaged, move the rice into an airtight container when it arrives and store it in a cool, dry place.

A combo of the two rices most South Asian households keep side by side, in the 5kg sizes that last: Annam Ponni Boiled Rice 5kg and Dildaar Extra Long Basmati 5kg.

They are not substitutes for each other. Ponni boiled rice is the parboiled South Indian everyday rice — short, firm grains that stay separate and hold up to sambar, rasam, curd rice and a full meals plate. Extra long basmati is the aromatic, slender-grained rice that elongates as it cooks, for biryani, pulao, ghee rice and anything served with a rich North Indian gravy.

Rinse both until the water runs clear. Basmati benefits from a 20–30 minute soak before cooking; ponni does not need one but takes more water and a little longer. Store both in airtight containers in a cool, dry place.