Tilda Basmati Rice 500g (Tilda Basmati Rice)

Member Name: GentleGenius

Product:	Tilda Basmati Rice
Date:	06/10/08 (1060 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely white grains, easy to cook, very tasty, suitable for most rice dishes

Disadvantages: None that I've encountered

COST: (@ 4.10.08) = £2.15 in Sainsbury's, and £1.99 at my local village grocers, for a 500g pack

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATON (uncooked, per 100g):-

Calories: 348
Kj: 1,480
Protein: 8.6g
Carbohydrate: 77.6g
- of which sugars: Trace
Fat: 0.4g
- of which saturates: 0.1g
Fibre: 0.4g
Sodium: Trace

DIETARY INFORMATION:

Suitable for vegetarians, free from gluten

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Tilda Basmati Rice comes in an attractive royal blue laminated plastic packet. There is a picture on the front of the packet of an oriental beach scene with a pillar of a building, and a peacock standing on the sand. Underneath that picture is an image of a brown round dish containing a portion of cooked basmati rice.

In rather small white letters on the back of the packet, there is the nutritional information, cooking instructions, and a couple of serving tips. Affixed to the top of the packet is a small clear plastic sticky strip, which can be used to re-seal the packet once it has been opened.

Tilda Basmati Rice has a very very faint perfumed smell on opening the packet, and the grains inside are long, and pure white.

Traditionally, basmati rice is used in Indian, Indo Chinese, Chinese and Japanese dishes. The rice can either be steamed in a wok or steamer, or boiled in a saucepan. Basmati rice is a little stickier when cooked than ordinary long-grain or "easy-cook" rice, and if you find it to be too stodgy for your personal preference, then it's a good idea to just fluff up the cooked product with a fork and place in a covered dish in a hot oven for about 10 minutes, just to dry it out a little.

The cooking instructions on the back of the packet advise to measure out 250g (intended to serve 4 people) of the rice, and to bring 2.5 litres of lightly sea-salted water to the boil, then stir in the rice and cook on what they call a "medium boil" for 10 minutes if you like your rice "al dente", or 12 minutes if you prefer a softer grain. When cooked, the instructions state that the rice should be well drained, and left to stand for 3 minutes before serving. It doesn't say in the instructions if the pan should be covered or not during cooking time.

Far be it for me to argue with the experts, but I have never found that particular method of cooking rice to work out very well - I always end up with a soggy, wet mess. The way I cook basmati rice (and long-grain or "easy-cook" too) myself, is (for 2 people) to measure out a teacupful of rice and flatten it off at the top. I tip this into a medium-sized saucepan and add the same teacupful of water, then another of the same teacupful of water with 3 teaspoonfuls removed and discarded. I then bring it to the boil, stir once only, then cover the pan with a tight lid and cook for 17 minutes on a medium-low simmer. I then remove the pan from the heat, and still with the lid on, leave it to stand for 5 minutes - then remove the lid, fluff up with a fork, and it's ready to serve. That method of cooking rice has never, ever let me down.

Tilda is a very good quality basmati rice that cooks up (if you use my method lol!) beautifully, and its appearance is very attractive when it is piled high on a plate, with steam rising from the top. The cooked product is a very bright white in colour and the grains have a definite and unique flavour, all of their own.

Because basmati rice grains are longer than most, if not all other types of rice, they curl very very slightly during the cooking process, and it adds to their attractiveness when being served.

Over the years I have moved right over to using basmati rice for all my rice-based meals (and I always use Tilda as I find it has a lovely, almost perfumed flavour that some other brands lack). I also find that Tilda Basmati Rice works very well when making desserts. A classic good old fashioned British rice pudding is great done with basmati rice. The grains have a different appearance to what is traditionally used in British rice pudding, but the flavour is superb. Tilda Basmati Rice is also very good boiled or steamed, then mixed with chopped tropical fruits and a very light sugar syrup, pressed into a mould and chilled in the fridge.

I strongly recommend Tilda Basmati Rice above most, if not all other brands. The only complaint I do have is that I don't agree with the cooking instructions, but that could be a personal thing - and, that bit in the cooking instructions I mentioned above, where it's not stated whether the pan should be covered or not during cooking.

A reasonably priced item which, unless you have a massive family, lasts a fair while (of course it also depends on how often you eat rice dishes) and it has a very long shelf-life.

Just a word of warning - any left-over cooked rice (not only basmati, but all rice) that is intended for re-use, should be stored in the fridge as soon as it cools to room temperature, and re-heated thoroughly. This kills off potentially dangerous bacteria - also, any leftover cooked rice should never be stored or used after 24 hours; discard it!

Well that's all folks - thanks for reading, and I think 9 out of 10 marks to Tilda; would have given them 10 if they'd included the bit about the saucepan lid on the cooking instructions.

Summary: Rice isn't rice unless it's basmati, and Tilda is one of the best brands