My basmati rice smells old or earthy is it expired?
Good-quality Basmati rice has a naturally distinctive aroma, even before it is cooked. The smell can be difficult to describe because everyone's sense of smell is different.
Depending on the individual, uncooked Basmati may be described as:
Earthy
Nutty
Musky
Sweet
Floral or fragrant
The aroma is usually subtle rather than overpowering, and this natural fragrance is one of the characteristics that makes genuine, high-quality Basmati so desirable.
Why Does Some Basmati Have Very Little Smell?
Some Basmati rice has little or no noticeable aroma. This can be because it is Sella (parboiled) rice, or because it is a lower-quality grain that has been processed or aged specifically to make it more suitable for traditional saucepan boiling.
These types of rice can behave very differently from naturally aged, raw Basmati when cooked in a modern, sealed fuzzy logic rice cooker, which is designed to cook raw rice from its uncooked state.
Naturally Aged Basmati
The Basmati rice sold by Yum Asia is not Sella or parboiled rice. It is naturally aged.
Aging is an important and highly regarded characteristic of premium Basmati rice. As Basmati ages naturally, changes occur within the grain that can improve its cooking performance, texture, aroma and ability to produce beautifully separate grains.
In much the same way that ageing is valued in products such as Scotch whisky or wine, aged Basmati can command a premium price because of the desirable characteristics it develops over time.
For this reason, long-aged Basmati rice is often considered more prestigious and can be considerably more expensive than younger rice.
Does Basmati Rice Really Go "Bad"?
When stored correctly, naturally aged Basmati can have an exceptionally long shelf life.
Keep your rice in a cool, dark and dry place, preferably in a sealed container once opened, and it can remain suitable for cooking for a considerable period.
The best before date should still be respected as the manufacturer's guidance for quality, but properly stored dry rice does not suddenly become unusable when that date passes.
So don't be concerned if your Basmati has a subtle earthy, nutty or musky aroma – that's part of what makes authentic Basmati special.
And when cooked in a quality rice cooker, those natural characteristics can really come to life.
