Share
You must have tried different varieties of rice, including Basmati, parboiled, brown, black, and a whole lot more. All these rices follow the same procedure for cooking, namely, soaking them first and then boiling them. However, can you imagine preparing rice without even cooking it? Although this may sound bluff, this is possible with Assam’s Chokuwa rice. Also known as magical rice, Chokuwa has recently garnered the GI (geographic indication) tag for its exquisiteness.
This rice has been a part of Assam's culinary heritage for ages. It was considered a staple of the troops of the mighty Ahom Dynasty. This unique rice is cultivated along the Brahmaputra area and is grown in several parts of Assam, namely Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Nagaon, and Morigaon, to name a few.
The mountainous terrain and subtropical climates of a warm, humid summer and a chilly, dry winter help in the cultivation of Chokuwa. Besides, the acidic soil, which is rich in phosphorous, potassium, organic matter, and nitrogen and experiences continuous rainfall from June to September, facilitates its growth.
Grains with amylose content ranging from high to moderate are eaten as a staple in Assam. However, on the contrary, the low amylose content rice variant, Chokuwa, is picked to prepare niche products such as komal chaul, or soft rice. This whole grain is a ready-to-eat product that requires no cooking and can be consumed after soaking the rice in cold or lukewarm water.
This unique rice can be consumed with sugar, jaggery, curd, and a few similar things. This rice is also used in making Assam’s delicacies, such as pithe. Rice powder and rice flakes are also prepared from Chokuwa rice, which are very tasty and preferred by the locals.
