Ria's Collection: HOW TO COOK KERALA MATTA RICE

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

HOW TO COOK KERALA MATTA RICE

KERALA MATTA RICE
I am sure some of you might have smirked at the idea of writing about how to make the perfect rice. If anyone thinks that cooking some rice is a rocket science,they are so mistaken! Infact,even a child can make it. Here, I am talking about the easiest way to make the Kerala Matta rice. The chubby rice.The fatter the rice grain, the starchier it is. The starchier the rice, the more liquid it needs to cook. It also takes a longer time than its skinnier counterparts.
KERALA MATTA RICE
Many people, including myself must have found out a way which works out best for them. I always went ahead with the pressure cooker method. Infact,that's the quickest way for matta.But,how many whistles do you give it? How much water do you use? What's your proportion of water to rice?
Kerala Matta rice is also known as Palakkadan Matta, Rosematta,Chomanna Ari, Parboiled Red Rice etc.,
KERALA MATTA RICE
KERALA MATTA RICE

I never gave much thought to it until Peramma told me how to go about it. It rocked my world! It's the most easiest way to cook the matta rice without your kitchen filling up with starchy spray everywhere! No more messy countertops/cooker lids / stoves. If you have already figured a way to cook yours without the above mentioned side effects,good for you! It took me a while, you see.
KERALA MATTA RICE
Last weekend,we had this rice talk with our friends and they felt the need to rinse out the cooked rice, add more water and give it another boil, which made it a lengthy process to cook matta.That's when I told them about the method I follow. I really feel that this is the best way to go about it provided, you have a large cooker.If not, try a smaller proportion. Here's how my Peramma told me to do:
THE BEST WAY TO COOK MATTA RICE

Ingredients:
1.5 cups Palakkadan Matta rice
12 cups water

Equipment : Pressure Cooker

Method: Take the measured rice in the pressure cooker and wash it,rubbing the grains,until the water turns clear,about 4-5 times. Add the 12 cups of water and keep the cooker on the stove. Turn on the heat to low,cover the cooker and wait for the steam. It will take anywhere between 5-6 minutes. Place the weight and cook the rice on low heat for 1 whistle. Turn off the heat and let pressure go down on it's own. Open and use as needed.

Updated on 16 July 2014 : This is not an absorption method for cooking the rice. There will be plenty of water after cooking,which can be drained off if needed.If you consume the starchy water as Kanji, you are of course, consuming the starch! :-)
 

33 Comments:

Hamaree Rasoi said...

I have been trying to find this healthy rice. No doubt it looks so amazing and tasty.
Deepa

manjusri shaji said...

Does the rice get cooked in just 1 whistle? ??

manjusri shaji said...

Does the rice get cooked in just 1 whistle? ??

Ria Mathew said...

Thanks Deepa, you can find it at Malayali stores.
Manjusri, yes! It needs only one whistle like how I've mentioned in the recipe...provided you cook it on low heat all the way! :)

Roshni said...

I tried this method and it got cooked perfectly . Initially I was skeptical about the one whistle, so gave an extra one and realized I was wrong :)

Yashwant Mehta "Yash" said...

I am fond of kerala red rice!! Just last week only I bought one packet of this rice from Chennai and came across your blog while searching for the method to cook Red Rice. Today I tried this method and I was sucsessful in first go. Thanks!! I enjoyed the rice with Fish Curry!!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for the method to cook the matta rice. ...It gets cooked perfectly

shruti said...

thanks for the receipe gonna try it tonite

Unknown said...

Thanks for the recipe... Trying now... Hope everything goes well..

Unknown said...

Thanks for the preparation method. Though I'm a bit skeptical on the 1 whistle thing..I'm hoping the slow heating will do it well. Will post after result..

Somu said...

Worked like a dream! Thanks! I was a bit sceptical if one whistle would be enough but the rice came out great!

Unknown said...

Very helpful indeed ! I bought a sack of rice from a large hyper market in Dubai and having opened the bag, didn't know how to use. I am now using this rice, in the method described, and the result is quite satisfactory. Thanks again.

Natasha said...

Hi Ria,

How long does it take for the one whistle to happen? My rice has been sitting on the stove for an hour and 10 mins and still hasn't whistled. Am I doing something wrong or does it actually take this long?

Thanks,
Natasha

Ria Mathew said...

Natasha, whoa! It takes only about 20-25 minutes for me.

Unknown said...

Since this is not an absorption method of cooking, is it possible to cook this type of rice without the need to drain off excess water? ( I do not like kanji.)
I have read that usually absorption method of cooking rice retains its nutrients, compared to draining the liquid. Is this above mentioned method more healthy for this particular rice? Is this the regular way of cooking it in south indian households?

Ria Mathew said...

Neha, you can cook it either way. I always drain off the excess water since I don't want the extra starch.

pradeep said...

Is it really necessary to add 12 cups of water and only then it will get cooked with one whistle?

Ria Mathew said...

Pradeep, you can add less amount of water but this rice requires quite a bit since its starchy. If you add very less water, the cooked rice along with the remaining water, if any, will gel up. I prefer cooking it with lots of water. Go with your pressure cooker capacity.

This one whistle will take a while to come, but that's enough. Otherwise, you can give them many whistles keeping it on a high flame but when the whistle blows, there will be starchy water sprinkling everywhere. This is the method that has worked the best for me! I cook our rice everyday like this. Less noise and less mess.

I hope that helps!
Ria

Unknown said...

This method worked so perfect. Glad I found it. Thanks for sharing.

Mayasujith said...

So useful....100000tnx....

jelin george said...

Hi! I am planning to try this method, I would like to know, don't this rice need soaking at all?? If so, how long or could it be prepared right away??

Ria Mathew said...

Thanks Hema & Maya!
Jelin, you can cook it right away! :) Let me know if you found this method useful.

Roshni said...

I didn't understand as after I turn on the heat what weight do I need to put on

Gayathri said...

Riyachechi, if using the absorption method how many cups of water do I need?

Ria Mathew said...

I have never tried it with this rice. It will be gloopy and starchy. It's better to drain it out.

Ria Mathew said...

Pressure cookers in India comes with a tiny attachment called the 'weight'. That's what I am talking about. It helps bulid up the steam and then release it with a whistle.

Gayathri said...

Okies.. Thank you so much :)

Anisha said...

Hey i tried this method... Even after keeping the cooker on low flame for more than 20 minutes without the whistle the steam didnt come. Am i doing something wrong. I did just as it is given in the description.

Ria Mathew said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ria Mathew said...

Anisha, feel free to increase the heat a little bit more. There’s nothing to go wrong here. I feel every stove is different, especially electric.

Chinnu said...

Hi Ria, recently found out ur page and became an instant fan follower of ur recipes.. if there more rice like 3 cups or so, does the water ratio change accordingly..

Ria Mathew said...

This rice needs a lot of water or else the cooked rice will be gloopy. So you will have to increase the water if you are making a larger amount. I would suggest that you try this amount first because that will give you a better judgement of how much water you need to use for 3 cups rice. I wouldn’t double the water but would definitely use more and also use a larger cooker than what I have used here. Hope this helps!

SRG said...

Really good recipe Ris! Worked perfectly and as you said, no mess. Thanks to your Peramma!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...