Sella is parboiled golden basmati. The yellow-gold of the husk penetrates the grain during the steaming process, giving the grain a distinctly yellow tint. Sella is not a unique landrace; it is only a different processing of the same basmati that produces sella, after all. But it is rare that a single rice live one glamorous life in raw form, and entirely another in parboiled form. It is popular with commercial biriyani makers, as a cheap basmati alternative. Sella is a sign of the times: good basmati is expensive and often hard to come by, lesser basmatis can be called upon to step in with longer shelf-lives and golden hues — such comparable long grains can be aromatized in the cooking process and a long-grain experience can be delivered for a fraction of the cost. Sella to the rescue.
Description
Please see Shalikuta’s full basmati entry by way of background to this one. Note that Basmati has red, black and golden husked variants, though the red-husked once was prized and the golden husked has today come to dominate. Sella is the golden basmati variant, parboiled. This is not to be confused with “golden rice” which is a GM variety.
It was the menu of a popular biryani joint in my city that triggered the discovery. No amount of maths, skimping on other ingredients or reduction in the portion size could justify the ridiculously low price. A little probing and I was guided to a wholesaler who offered me “biryani rice” at Rs 85/kg if I purchased a minimum 10. He opened a sack of his precious hoard for inspection and the first detail to catch my eye was the grains’ distinct golden glow. That was my introduction to parboiled ‘Golden Sella’ basmati. It’s a long grain rice, but lacks the delicate aroma of the aged basmati that retails for at least three times more. It smells neutral, at best, or carries that distinctive parboiled scent of rice soaked for longer than needed or could not dry fast enough after the steaming/boiling process. No wonder cooks who have worked with Sella recommend the use of ‘attar,’ or some flavouring stronger than the delicate spices typically infused into biryani.
Sella gets its light yellow coloration via processing: it is boiled and dried in its husk prior to milling; the process turns the grains a light yellow. Parboiling rice has a diverse range of nutritional and other benefits, but in this case serves to keep the long grains from breaking during cooking. Sella grains are practically indestructible, a boon for kitchens that have to cook biryani in large amounts and also cater to a price sensitive market segment. While aging in itself can improve the firmness of rice grains and reduce the chances of breakage, storage costs add to final pricing and put it out of the reach of many. With basmati being one of the most commercially valued rices, and the length of the grain being directly proportional to the final price it commands, Sella basmati caters extensively to the price conscious biryani loving segment. With minimal care, biryanis turn out just the way they look in those heavily edited images. All told, as rising global temperatures adversely affect grain aromas, sella might not be basmati’s poor cousin much longer!
Additional information
| Region of Origin | North |
|---|---|
| Grain Shape | long slender |
| Grain Colour | Ivory |
| Fragrance | Nonscented |
