what is matta rice.......

Hi Nitha,
so nice of you to write in detail about 'matta rice'. Me, a keralite, regularly using Palakkadan matta rice had no idea of these details. But I've heard that this rice is fibre rich because of bran intact and rich in many nutrients and hence is the best to feed infants and kids.. In our parts we don't feed our kids with white rice (strict NO to white rice) as it is said to lack in several nutrients. As you said we prepare kanji with broken matta rice and the same can be used to feed infants too.
Here's what I found In my online search:
1)Matta rice and kerala red rice are same 2)Brown rice is unmilled, has only the husk removed, and retains 100% of the bran. Red rice is semi-milled, with the husk and some of the bran removed. White rice is milled and polished to remove the husk and all the bran. Unlike white rices, brown/red rices are high in fibre, have a wonderful array of nutrients, and possess properties that help control blood lipids, and blood sugar levels. 3)Similar to brown rice, red rice has undergone minimal processing, still has its bran layers and takes 45-50 minutes to cook. Brown and red rice are somewhat chewy, fiber-rich and chock-full of B vitamins— thiamin, riboflavin and niacin. Red rice also has a nutty flavor, but many find it more savory than brown rice. <!--?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /-->
The caloric density for red rice is similar to that of brown rice, so one-third cup has about 80 calories. Whether your rice is brown, red or white, one-third cup counts as one diabetic exchange—the amount of a particular food that contains about 15 grams of carbohydrate such as 5 crackers, a slice of bread or 3 cups of salad greens. But highfiber, high-carbohydrate foods like brown and red rice have been shown to improve blood lipids, blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin (Hemoglobin A1C), a longer-term measure of blood sugar control. Both have more to offer than their white rice counterpart.
Thanx and Regards,
Reshmi

 

Thanks Nitha on the information. India does have a rich variety of rice in each state, that urbanites like me have never heard before.
This is what a Kerala-based ayurvedic research centre, from whom we buy the red rice told us, so I am going to be basing on the information that was given to me second hand - feel free to disagree/correct.
Matta means short or dwarf plant. i.e. the plant is short and the grains small. Red matta is the whole-grain and Rose matta is partly dehusked. Because of the hulling, some amout of bran is removed and some of the colour washes off, but NOT turn white. Some packers do add the colour to add value to white rice. The physician whom we spoke to advised us against consuming that kind of rice, given there could be residual contamination. The red colour in the rice is a plant source of iron, darker the grain greater the amount of iron. - Again let me emphasise, this is information given to me by an Ayurvedic research centre; it NEED NOT be true.
I agree with Reshmi about the lack of benefits in giving white riice. Traditionally in our region (don't know if it is pan Tamil culture), rice is not a baby food, not before 10th month. Even then it is non-polished, parboiled rice which is cooked a second time (Punarbaham (sp?).
White rice does not have any benefit other than as a source of starch and has a glycemic index. That's why, I am very partial to red rice given my own issues with poor glycemic control and rely on food for iron, rather than pills.

Reshmi, can you give me the link to the information you found online, I am still trying to improve my diet, Thanks in Advance.

 

Reshmi,
Thanks for the info of Matta rice. Yes, I too agree on health benefits of red rice over white rice.
- Nitha

 

Tikka,
You are such a health conscious person. I admire it. I have a long way to go.

Confession # My experience in rose matta comes not from any scientific/health knowledge, but from more than 2 decades of eating it and less than 1/2 decades of cooking it:hide:.

The keralite hindu's give rice to babies from 6th month. We have a "choroonnu ceremony" in the 6th month and babies will be given mashed rice, ghee, lentils and spiceless curries on that day. And from then starts the babies "rice life".
Babies will be given Matta rice as it retains fibre (as it has its husk) and hence considered healthy. Some people prefer other rice and they feed their babies white rice.
My husband's family is settled in chennai. His family do not like matta rice and they have and is still feeding their kids (husband's nephews) with sona masoori/other rice brands since their 6th month.
As I mentioned in my other post, polished(after its husk is removed) matta rice when cooked looses its colour. It won't be as white as sona masoori, but will be way lighter than its uncooked counterpart.
Tikka, I am not aware if the rice company add colour to rice. When will the food adulteration stop:spin. Then again, it is not the colour of rice that alone makes matta rice different. When cooked matta rice becomes very plumpy and bouncy unlike other rice and even if over- cooked the grains always are seperate.
Tikka, since you are interested in GI and looks forward to improve your diet, I am attaching the link of the diet that I follow. I am not a rigid follower of diet, I follow the glycemic chart of south beach diet and its principles. I usually follow it in my cooking. Here is the link Glycemic Index Food Chart . Do check out if you find time.
Happiness
Nitha

 

Tikka,
This is for you:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=128
I don’t think this is what I found last time but this might provide info that you are looking for. Anyhow keep up your food conscious nature that ensures the health of the whole family.
Nitha,
Though we performed the choroonu function at 5<SUP>th</SUP> month for my son, feeding him with rice(broken matta rice kanji) started only after 7months.. I think among the cereals, rice is most safe as no allergy issues and easily digestible for kids.
Reshmi

 

Thanks Nitha, Reshmi... this is why I love this community. We all bring in our backgrounds, our culture and add to the rich mix. There is so much I've learnt here on this thread!

 

hi
i read from a different site that giving red rice to babies is dangerous, that it could be life threatening as the red rice grows a yeast layer on it. is this true? and some of the people here in "Male'" eat red rice when their BP and cholesterol goes up. is there any relevance to this matter?

 

wow nitha, tikka and reshmi. though I am also from keralite and had not eaten any rice other than matta till I was 24, I didnt know these details. Our friends from north used to make fun of matta rice and they used to call it 'bullet' rice :--)

Nowadays I dont cook matta at all as it takes longer time to cook. I never used to like the white matta as well.