HMT Rice (Semipolished, Raw)

White raw rice , good for everyday use

Easy to cook

Grown organically in Karnataka

Farmer developed variety

Slender medium grained

The Story 

Bio Basics’ HMT rice comes as semi polished rice with about 20% bran. Bio Basics HMT white rice comes from a third-party certified organic farmers group in Karnataka. The rice is also third party certified. This is a medium grained, slender rice and is soft when cooked.

This is a farmer developed variety, developed by Dadaji Ramaji Khobragade in Maharashtra. He had developed many varieties in his fields and amongst those HMT became the most popular. It is grown extensively in Maharashtra and Karnataka. It is very similar to Kolam, the most popular rice in these regions.

Initially Dadaji Khobragade did not get due recognition or reward for developing the variety, the Agriculture establishment in fact tried to improve his variety and renamed it and distributed it without giving him due credit. Later a series of articles about him led to widespread recognition of his work. organic farming fraternity wrote about his work and honoured him for his contributions in developing this and many other varieties. This rice is grown extensively by organic farmers due to its around the year demand from consumers. So we categorise it under our regular offering.

The rice is grown without any synthetic fertilisers or pesticides. It is stored and processed without any chemicals.

Fun Fact: 

There are many stories regarding the name HMT for the rice, it was named after the HMT watch that was the most popular brand of wrist watches at that time. The story goes that Dadaji was asked about the name of the rice that he took to the market and he responded that he hadn’t named it. The trader then told him to call it HMT.

( More about the HMT story here : https://ecologise.in/2018/06/06/pirating-seeds-the-story-of-dadaji-khobragade/ )


How to cook

Rinse and wash the rice, soak for ½ hour (soaking is not mandatory for the low bran polished rices; however, a minimal amount of soaking helps cook the rices evenly)

Cook 1 cup rice with 2.5 cups of water in a vessel with lid. Cook on high flame till the water boils and then cook on low flame.

Pairing: HMT rice can be paired with gravies and sides. It is also good for preparing variety rices commonly had as part of South Indian cuisine. It is also suitable for dal chawal or rajma chawal. It is enjoyed as a fine grained table rice.