LFC Mumbai | August 2026
Anamika: Pantry shelves tell us a lot about what has changed in how we live and cook. Rice is something we all have stocked, but how many varieties of rice did your childhood kitchen have? How many do you have now? For me, it has become just one packet of white rice from the supermarket. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s interesting to notice what changed. If at all, what made it change for you—less time, quick delivery, cooking for fewer people, or simply preference?
Riddhi: Back in the day, my mom used surti kolam rice for regular dal-chawal, and basmati rice for pulao and biryani. Now that I have my own pantry, I stock different rice varieties for different dishes, including surti kolam, indrayani, basmati, matta, brown rice, jasmine rice, and gobindobhog. I choose and cook the rice depending on my mood and the cuisine. This change is because of my local travels, which have shaped my preferences. It is also owed to the availability of regional varieties of rice, both online and via local vendors.
Kalawizster: I use black, brown, red matta rice, and pure polished varieties.
Amira: Instead of rice varieties dwindling over time, they have increased. This is because of greater awareness, travelling, and GI-tagged stores. These stores are a must-visit for rice lovers—they have many different varieties under one roof.
Anamika: I also grew up eating 2-3 rice varieties, whereas now, my pantry is stocked with a dozen different varieties. For khichdi, I specifically use gobindobhog or ambemohar.
Neeta: Until 2017, my pantry had only surti kolam and basmati rice. Newer additions include indrayani and matta for daily use, ponni rice for pulao, basmati for biryani, jasmine for south-east Asian cooking, and gobindobhog or ambemohar for kheer. I keep experimenting with other varieties as and when I come across them.
Seema: My mom used to store surti kolam, unpolished rice, and basmati rice. After my marriage, I started using dubar and basmati. Presently, we have an array of rice in our pantry—surti kolam, ambe mohar, indrayani, gobindobhog, and kala namak rice that I recently bought out of curiosity.
Bhavna: Ever since I began working with the farmers, I have become more conscious of what I eat. Over time, I have begun stocking red rice, black rice, white sticky rice, and joha rice, to name a few.
Persis: Like most, I grew up eating surti kolam, basmati, and tukda basmati. After marriage, I came across Madras red rice. Over time, through engaging with the Panchgani Market, and OOO farms, the rice varieties I used expanded. Now, my house is filled with ambemohar, indrani, sticky rice for sushi, and arborio rice for risotto.
Kalawizster: As I am diabetic, I was asked to shift to black rice. It’s quite delicious when I cook it the traditional way—hot boiling water with the kanji draining out.
Learn about other rice varieties—their regionality, recipes, and stories—the likes of Rakthashali Rice and Stony Ambemohar Rice, in our Know Your Desi Ingredients archive.
Also read a book excerpt on Vishalakshi Padmanabhan, who is preserving heirloom rice varieties in Bengaluru. This excerpt is part of Why Cook by Archana Pidathala, a collection of 16 stories and recipes on women and cooking.