Mahadi came to Shalikuta from Kumud Dadlani, an ex-sourcing manager at Diaspora Co. Spices. “Khichdi,” she said, handing us a sample–and that’s exactly what we made. This is a quick-cooking, slightly sticky and entirely unique red rice grown by Warli and Kokni tribal communities in Palghar district and others in the same agro-climactic zone on the Konkan coast, and typically used to aid in recovery, whether from snake bites or childbirth. Mahadi has a tall growing habit and is therefore prone to lodging, but the seed comes from old hands and holds the memories of those who remember it from their childhoods: it is an heirloom, passed down, a lineage of rice and memory and feeling.
Scroll down for more details about this rice.
Description
THE CULTURAL & ECOLOGICAL LIFE OF THIS RICE
Mahadi is a rice whose outer bran is reddish, its multiple ecotypes can have varying morphological characteristics. In the different micro-climates where it has traditionally grown, due to soil, water, land forms and other environmental variations, the grains develop variations: some hairiness on the grain, red or black streaks on outer layers, and a crop period ranging from 120-130 days [personal communication with Deepa Reddy, Dr Sanjay M Patil, BAIF, 22/6/24]. Dr Patil spoke also of work they are doing to identify the ecotype most suitable for cultivation, less prone to lodging etc., with the hope of reviving and expanding the areas of cultivation.
NUTRITIONAL AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
- Mahadi is regarded as iron-rich and nutritionally dense but also sweet by nature; it satiates quickly (so you eat nearly two-thirds less) and its cooking waters are said to treat gastric and other inflammatory conditions [personal communication, Gaytri at Vrindavan Farms]
- The Kokan and Warli tribes along with other communities on the Konkan coast, typically use the rice to aid in post-partum recovery, or after snake bites and as a paste-poultice “like a bandage” for wound healing–suggesting that this rice has properties that provide strength, and aid convalescence or hasten recovery from shock and physical stress [personal communication with Deepa Reddy, Dr Sanjay M Patil, BAIF, 22/6/24].
- Mahadi is generally used to treat weakness, wound recovery, fracture recovery [Patil, ND]
CULINARY USES
Though mahadi has typical red-rice earthiness, it cooks faster and softer than many of our hardier reds that take long soakings and retain their own robust personalities right up to the very ends (like Mapillai Samba!). Mahadi has a slightly sticky quality and is more readily yielding even in its unpolished or semi-polished state, and therefore can be used as a regular table rice. It can also be cooked further into a khichdi, or even further into a gruel or kanji.
The tribal communities that have traditionally grown this rice make bakris or rice-rotis from it, and feed that along with the rice gruel for hastened recovery, to women recovering from childbirth.
WHO GROWS THIS RICE & WHERE CAN I BUY?
A handful of tribal and other communities in Palghar district of Maharashtra grow Mahadi. It is also grown for sale by Vrindavan farms in Palghar, Maharashtra but in small batches. Check with them about availability:
- Vrindavan Farms; Gaytri +91-9004349733
SOURCES & FURTHER READING
- Dr Sanjay M Patil of BAIF, “Seed sovereignty for food security and livelihood improvement,” LEIS India, ND.
- We owe Gaytri at Vrindavan and Kumud Dadlani many thanks for introducing us to this uncommon rice!
- The 2nd image in the photo gallery is provided courtesy Dr Sanjay Patil, BAIF.
Additional information
| Region of Origin | West |
|---|---|
| Grain Shape | medium |
| Grain Colour | Red |
| Fragrance | Nonscented |
