Sona Masuri Rice ~ from Andhra Pradesh
Any food event that celebrates Andhra cuisine must include a topic on rice, I think. After all, Andhra Pradesh is the “Rice Bowl of India”.
Krishna, Godavari, Tungabhadra and Penna rivers criss-cross the state creating fertile lands and water source necessary for the rice cultivation. As a result, Andhra is not only blessed with rich rice culture but also dynamic diversity in grains. Several varieties of rice are grown in Andhra Pradesh and each type has a unique name. The varieties that my grandparents cultivate and my parents consume at home are “Krishna Hamsa, Krishna Veni, Masuri, Samba Masuri and Sona Masuri” . They belong to medium-slender group (medium refers to the length and slender refers to the thickness of grain). And they all are quality rice varieties priced at affordable rates and geared towards common consumption.
Among this bunch, Sona Masuri is considered the pride of Andhra Pradesh. Reed thin and richly nutty, Sona Masuri symbolizes Andhra people. Strong and impossible to turn to mush, this supreme quality rice is a soulful delight, particularly to those who like their rice with some integrity left when cooked. Thanks to the generous India’s export policies, for the last five years, we who live in America are also able to purchase Sona Masuri rice from local Indian grocery shops.
Cooking Sona Masuri is easy. Stove-top, pressure-cooker or rice cooker, they all work. I usually cook Sona Masuri in a pressure cooker. For one cup rice, three cups of water is the measurement I follow. Cook until tender and serve hot/warm or cold. Sona Masuri rice is best suited to prepare pulihora/chitrannam/pulao type preparations and also as an accompaniment to dal (pappu), sambar, rasam and yogurt. The classic combo is Sona Masuri rice, dal and ghee, mixed together and served with a papad, like shown below – popular and the most copied image from Mahanandi.
Sona Masuri Rice Mixed with Mango dal&ghee. Shaped to a Round & placed on a Deep Fried Sago Papad.
~ My Contribution to RCI~Andhra Cuisine, Hosted by Lovely Latha of Masala Magic
Sona Masuri Rice is avialable at local Indian grocery shops here in US.
The Five Pillars of Rice Wisdom
As much as it looks simple, there cannot be a better entry for RCI – Andhra. Well done Indira!
Comment by Suganya — May 24, 2007 @ 6:49 pm
thank you, indira. i must say, we are thoroughly enjoying this rice since we started cooking it. it has a wonderful sweetness and nuttiness that makes it much more satisfying than basmati. now, i’m hoping someone starts marketing the brown variety.
Comment by bee — May 24, 2007 @ 6:56 pm
The picture is perfect and so is the fact that Sona Masuri is the pride of Andhra. I am so glad I can afford to have it on a regular basis. It is so robust and understanding when u mess with the qty of water too. I love rice grains that remain separate and this one is the best for it.
Comment by Priya — May 24, 2007 @ 10:22 pm
That is only lovely tribute to rice !! Welldone !
Comment by Revathi — May 24, 2007 @ 10:42 pm
I use Sona Masoori too which cooks perfect with seperate rice grains.
Lovely pictures !!!! And great indeed….
Comment by Vidyaa — May 25, 2007 @ 4:41 am
I find sona masuri is best cooked in pressure cooker. It tends to dry out in rice cooker.
-g
Comment by GG — May 25, 2007 @ 7:56 am
Indira!meeru mana(south indian) classic and staple food “annam” recipe pettaru.chala bagundi.nice pics too as usual.
Comment by Madhavi — May 25, 2007 @ 10:35 am
Indira,
Thank godness this is well stocked in Indian stores, I remember it was such a big task to get this a while ago and had to be content with sticky jasmine rice.
In between how come I cannot add you to google reader. is there any special setting that I need to do
Comment by Sreelu — May 25, 2007 @ 3:12 pm
Hello Indira,
I am a visitor of this blog for the past few months.Do you have a mail id to contact?
Please let me know.
Comment by hema — May 25, 2007 @ 4:55 pm
Glad to see fellow fans of Sona Masuri rice. Thank you all for the nice notes.
Hi Hema: You can mail me at – mailmahanandi@gmail.com. Thanks.
Comment by Indira — May 26, 2007 @ 9:36 am
this is the first time I chanced upon your blog. It is interesting, colorful and appealing to both eyes and taste buds….. great job…. mark me as a regular reader!
Comment by Nanditha Prabhu — May 27, 2007 @ 3:16 pm
Indira! Are you a mind reader? 🙂 I came here to ask you a question about this sona-masuri rice and you have written about it… This has been a staple in our diets for a few years now. When my mil visited us, she asked us a pretty normal question – Is this parboiled or boiled or raw rice? I didn’t know. BAC, Would you know this information about sona-masuri rice.
Comment by Kay — May 28, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
Hi Nanditha, thanks. I loved reading Japan story at your blog. Keep up the good work!
It’s great to hear that you are also a fan of sona masuri, Kay.:)
Sona Masuri is a plain, processed white rice. Depending on the amount of polish it went through, the rice grain color ranges from pale brown to sparkling white.
Comment by Indira — May 28, 2007 @ 9:17 pm
Thanks Indira.
Comment by Kay — May 31, 2007 @ 7:07 pm
thank you for all the detailed recipes posted on your site,, appreciate it..i also found Samba rice in one of the Sri Lankan stores in our vicinity,, i live in Toronto, Canada,, i also found a rice called Ponni rice.. i was very delighted to see Samba rice,, does Ponni also belong to the same variety of rice, as the Sona Masuri rice.. thank you
Comment by Jaya Pai — July 27, 2007 @ 6:10 pm
Dear Indira,
That was great information on the rice variety from Andhra. Sona Masuri Rice – would like to get this rice and see the distinction that you are trying to make. The rice placed on the sago papad looks most appetizing! The links to the ealier posts are very useful.
Comment by pritya — November 3, 2007 @ 9:54 am
Hi Indira
I liked your article on Sona Masoori, but i would like to know its nutritional information too. It would help me as I cannot imagine my day to day life without Sona Masoori. Please let me know.
Thankyou
Comment by tanuja — June 12, 2008 @ 6:00 pm
Hi Indira,
I have a slow cooker and i love sona masoori. I’m kind of confused how to cook with this kind of cooker. I dont want to mess up my dinner all the time. Hope i get some help with this. You have given us a beautiful article and thanks for that. I tried to cook once with 1: 2 ratio of rice and water and i undercooked it to say the least.
Comment by Puneeth — December 31, 2012 @ 9:49 pm
Hi, I would like to know whether we can give this Rice children under 1 normally we won’t give raw Rice as it will not get digested. What is that in this rice?
Comment by priya — January 20, 2015 @ 3:44 am
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