Basmati rice

Basmati rice is a really special variety of rice, cultivated for centuries at the foot of the Himalayan mountain ranges but nowadays readily available on the shelves of supermarkets all over the world, both in the white and whole grain version. This type of rice has an elongated shape characterized by an intense flavor thanks to the presence of an aromatic compound called 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (Bourgis et al, Theor Appl genet, Aug 2018). The special aroma of basmati rice released by the cooked grains is also the reason of its name that comes from Sanskrit bas, from ‘vasay’, aroma, and mati from mayup that means ingrained, namely rich in aroma! Basmati rice has another characteristic, according to scientific studies performed to evaluate the GI, or glycemic index, that is a measure of the increase of blood sugar levels after eating. This type of rice has shown, once cooked, a low GI also in the white grain variant. In particular, the basmati rice has a glycemic index of about 57, the common rice may reach a GI value of 70 while the common brown rice has 68 ( Tan et al, Br J Nutr, Apr 2015 - Atkinson et al, Diabetes care, Dec 2008 ). Moreover, this rice is also very digestible. For this reason, basmati rice can be included in diets, in case of overweight or obesity or during convalescence or if you have to keep under control the blood sugar levels. However, don’t exceed with the quantity because a too big portion may in any case increase the glycaemia. For what concerns the nutritional values, the basmati rice brings carbohydrates, about 75 grams for 100 grams of rice, and therefore energy, while keeping, as we have seen, a low glycemic level. A portion of 100 grams of rice brings 350 Kcal, fibers, about 3 grams, and a limited quantity of proteins, about 9 grams. And how to serve this type of rice? You can have a look at the Healthy Food section that proposes you nice and easy recipes with basmati rice, for example chili with red beans and basmati rice or veggie tofu curry with basmati rice.