Shop Basmati Rice Online
Rinsed, soaked, rested — and given less water than most people give it. The method, what ageing does to the grain, and what a 5kg bag works out at.
INDIA GATE ROZANA BASMATI RICE 5KG
$12.00
$12.99
Save 8%
about $2.40 per kilogram · roughly 71 servings
Sold by Easy Grocery
Price and availability update live from the listing. The description above is the seller's own wording, reproduced as written, and is not endorsed or verified by DoorToShop — read the product page for the pack details and the best-before date.
The Method
Basmati is not cooked the way other long grain is, and two of the differences account for most of the disappointing plates of it: it is soaked first, and it takes less water, not more. Five steps, and only the first two need any attention.
Rinse until the water runs clear.
Put the rice in a bowl, cover with cold water, swirl it with your hand and pour the cloudy water off. Three or four changes is usually enough. What you are removing is loose surface starch, which is what makes rice claggy — this step does more for the finished texture than anything else.
Soak it for twenty to thirty minutes.
Cover with cold water and leave it. Basmati grains take up water slowly and lengthen as they do; soaking is why properly cooked basmati comes out long and separate rather than short and broken. Drain it well before cooking — the soaking water does not go in the pot.
Use less water than you think.
Soaked basmati wants roughly one and a half parts water to one part rice by volume, not the two-to-one people use for other rice. The grain has already taken some water on board during the soak, and too much is what turns it to porridge.
Boil, then cover and drop the heat right down.
Bring it to the boil uncovered, then put the lid on, turn the heat as low as it goes, and leave it for ten to twelve minutes. Do not lift the lid and do not stir — both let the steam out, and steam is what is cooking the top layer.
Rest it off the heat for ten minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and leave the lid on. The grains finish in their own steam and firm up enough to separate. Then run a fork through it rather than a spoon, which crushes the grains you have just gone to the trouble of keeping whole.
General technique for basmati, not instructions for a particular pack. Where the packaging gives its own directions, follow those.
What Makes Basmati Basmati
It gets longer, not just softer
Elongation is the defining trait: a basmati grain roughly doubles in length as it cooks, while staying slender. Ordinary long grain gets softer and a little fatter. That is what you are paying for, and it is also why soaking and gentle handling matter so much.
Ageing changes how it behaves
Basmati is traditionally matured before milling, and aged grain cooks drier and separates more readily than new-crop rice, which holds more moisture and can come out sticky. Most listings do not state the age, so it is worth asking if it matters to you.
The aroma is part of the variety
The characteristic smell comes from a compound the plant produces naturally, and it is strongest just as the lid comes off. It fades with long storage, which is one reason to keep a large bag sealed rather than open in the cupboard.
"Rozana" means everyday
The word is Hindi and Urdu for daily, and it is used for a range meant for regular cooking rather than for special occasions. The listing describes this one as an everyday basmati.
What a 5kg Bag Comes To
That works out at roughly $0.17 a serving for the rice itself. Worked out from the live listed price and a normal main-meal portion — more servings if rice is a side, fewer if it is the centre of the plate.
Keeping a Big Bag
- Decant it into a sealed container rather than leaving it in the opened bag. A woven or paper sack is packaging for transport, not for six months in a warm cupboard.
- Keep it cool, dry and out of the light. Heat and humidity are what dull the aroma, and a sunny shelf is the worst place in the kitchen for it.
- Use a dry scoop every time. Moisture introduced on a damp cup is what spoils a bag of rice rather than time alone.
- Keep the bag or a note of the date. Rice keeps a long time, but the smell fades gradually, and knowing when you opened it tells you why a later batch smells less than the first.
- Go by the best-before date shown on the listing and the pack, not by a general figure — and check it before you buy a quantity this size.
Aroma is the thing you lose first. Rice stays perfectly safe to eat long after it stops smelling of much, so a sealed container in a cool cupboard is not about spoilage — it is about the bag tasting in month six the way it did in week one.
Where to Buy It
This bag is listed by Easy Grocery on DoorToShop, alongside the rest of their range — atta, other rice, dals, whole and ground spices, ghee and oils. Our guide to the store covers what else they stock, and the wider Groceries category has other local stores you can add to the same order.
Check the price per kilo.
Divide the bag price by the weight, and compare that against the smaller bags you would otherwise buy.
Check you have somewhere to keep it.
A sealed container in a cool, dry cupboard. Work out where before you order rather than after it arrives.
Add to cart.
Order from Easy Grocery on DoorToShop. It is a multi-merchant marketplace, so you can add items from other local stores to the same order.
Check out.
Pay securely by card or net banking. There is no minimum order value.
Receive your order.
The store dispatches the next business day and courier delivery typically takes 1–3 business days. Track your order on the web or in the DoorToShop app.
Delivery is $5 as a base fee, with free delivery on orders above $69, and there is no minimum order value. Enter your postcode at checkout to confirm delivery coverage for your address, or read how DoorToShop works.
Frequently Asked Questions: Basmati Rice
How do you cook basmati rice?
Rinse it in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear, then soak it for twenty to thirty minutes and drain it well. Use about one and a half parts water to one part rice by volume — less than you would use for other rice, because the grain has already absorbed some during the soak. Bring it to the boil uncovered, then cover, turn the heat right down and leave it for ten to twelve minutes without lifting the lid. Rest it off the heat, still covered, for ten minutes, then separate the grains with a fork.
What is the correct water ratio for basmati?
Roughly one and a half parts water to one part rice by volume, once the rice has been soaked. Unsoaked basmati needs closer to one and three-quarters. The two-to-one ratio people often use is what makes basmati come out heavy — and where the pack gives its own directions, follow those.
Do you have to soak basmati rice?
You do not have to, but it is the difference between good basmati and remarkable basmati. Soaking lets the grain take up water slowly so it lengthens rather than splits, which is the whole point of the variety. Twenty to thirty minutes is plenty; hours are not better.
Why do you rinse rice before cooking?
To wash off loose surface starch left over from milling. That starch is what makes cooked rice claggy and makes grains stick together. Three or four changes of cold water, until the water runs more or less clear, is enough.
What does "Rozana" mean?
It is Hindi and Urdu for daily or everyday, and it names a range intended for regular cooking rather than for special occasions. The listing describes this one as an everyday basmati.
What makes basmati different from ordinary long grain rice?
Elongation and aroma. A basmati grain roughly doubles in length as it cooks while staying slender, where ordinary long grain mostly just softens. Basmati also carries a distinctive smell that comes from the variety itself and is strongest as the lid comes off.
Does aged basmati cook differently?
Yes. Matured grain holds less moisture, so it cooks drier and separates more readily, while new-crop rice can come out stickier. Most listings do not state how long the rice has been aged, so ask the store if it matters to you.
How many servings are in a 5kg bag?
Around 71 at roughly 70g of dry rice a head, which is a normal main-meal portion. More if it is a side dish, fewer if rice is the centre of the plate.
How should I store a 5kg bag?
Decant it into a sealed container rather than leaving it in the opened sack, and keep it somewhere cool, dry and out of direct light. Use a dry scoop each time — moisture introduced on a damp cup does more harm than age. Check the best-before date on the pack and on the listing.
What does it work out at per kilo?
At the current price of $12.00, that is $2.40 per kilogram, or about $0.17 a serving. Prices move, so divide the price on the product page by 5 if you want to check it yourself.
How fast is delivery?
Orders are dispatched by the store the next business day and typically arrive within 1 to 3 business days by courier. Enter your postcode at checkout to confirm delivery coverage for your address.
How much does delivery cost?
The base delivery fee is $5 NZD, with free delivery on orders above $69 — the exact amount is confirmed at checkout. There is no minimum order value.
What if the bag arrives damaged?
Photograph it before opening anything further and contact the store the same day. Returns are handled by the store that sold the item, and nothing in a store's policy limits your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.