what is matta rice.......

I think you are talking about rosematta grain. We use it typically wholegrain, but found Kiran could not tolerate it till he was around 1. May be broken rice may be tolerated better. Darker the grain, greater the iron content.
ETA: Sorry, did not read properly the first time, the rice turned white on cooking or just washing? Rosematta cooks a light red in colour, not white. If it was like regular white rice then I would think the colour was added to the grain. I will not use the rice at all; not for me not for the child.

 

hi
matta rice in kerala is actually the boiled rice which is red in color even after cookin the rice would be slightly red in color. it takes a long time to get cooked. Broken matta rice is also red in color but when you cook it it is slight red in color. I give broken matta kanji for my kids when they are sick . I pressure cook it so it becomes soft for eating with a pinch of salt.Heard that its good for kids. Hope i could help you out with this info.
Thnx
nimmi

 

Like previous poster said, matta rice cooks light red or rose! we wash it to cook here too - force of habit, it has never lost all of its colour. Never ever turned white. The gruel we made for Kiran when he was 9 months was pinkish with red flakes (the bran).
I am guessing they've added colouring agents. I think it better to try another brand to see if that too turns white! I should think not. It is really up to you, if you think you've cleaned off all the colouring agents, then you can use it. It will not have the iron content that red rice or rosematta has, but it would still have the starch.

 

Matta rice is an everyday rice at mallu home. My memories of chlildhood starts with rose matta rice . Coming to the point, matta rice is usually in rose colour because of the husk.It is fiber rich. But you get polished matta rice at stores which are white in colour and sadly, they don't have much fiber.
You have to soak in water for a couple of minutes and then pressure cook it. You can also use the rice cooker. It takes more time to cookl unlike other rice. If my memory is correct, the cooked matta rice is mashed well mixed with mashed dal and salt and topped with ghee for the baby's feeding.
- Nitha

 

I guess most of the people are not aware of rosematta rice.Hence I will elaborate. It is a staple in kerala, particularly palakkad region.It will have reddish flecks outside due to the bran. When you wash the rice, water foams a little (because of loose starch) and becomes reddish.
2 cup rice:3 cup water is the cooking ratio. Once the rice boils, a browish forth rises to the surface, which resembles the foam when rajma (kidney-beans) is boiled. Skim off and discard the foam without taking much water.
Cooked rice looks very fat and bouncy and they never stick together.And the cooked rice has a much whiter colour than uncooked.
If you have brought polished rose matta, then it will look like ordinary white rice, though more plumpy.
Don't throw off the rice yet. It is very good for kids.
Nitha

 

Manisha,
1. Yes, you have to wash the rice before cooking. I soak the rice in water for 30 minutes and then wash it 1 or 2 times. It is a matter of personal preference. You can directly wash the rice and cook it without soaking.
The ratio is 1cup(rice) :3-31/2(water). If you are preparing on stovetop let the water boil before putting rice. Alternatively, you can also pressure cook for 3 whistles (It saves your gas bill ).

2. Yes, you can give any good quality rice to the baby like sona masoori etc. Why rose-matta is preferred more is because it is healthier as it retains its bran unlike other rice.

3. Matta rice is rosematta rice. Rosematta is known as matta rice, Palakkadan matta rice, kerala red rice and in some asian stores as Indian red-rice. You can get it either polished or un-polished. Unpolished rice will be more reddish colour(because of its bran and it will retain some of its colour when cooked. Polished rice will be almost like white rice( but with a tinge of rose colour) and will lose all colour when cooked.

PS: You can make kheer with broken rose matta rice. If you are non-veg, rose matta is the best combo with fish curry.
Hope I could be of help. Any more queries on "my" rose matta is most welcome.:thumbsup