Comparing basmati rice
I've never had it, but would like to try it. I'm just afraid of buying the huge 5-pound rice bag, only to discover that I don't like it. I have tried black, wild, and jasmine rice before. How does basmati compare to these different rices?
basmati is quite similar to jasmine: fragrant, yummy, but basically (nutritionally) just white rice.
can't you get a small amount in bulk to try?
Nope - they only come in bags at all the Asian grocery stores around my area. But thanks for the tip!
Basmati is very fragrant, as pg says, but tends to make a dryish "fluffy" rice rather than a wettish, "sticky" rice like jasmine. I tend to like jasmine with Thai style curries (thinish broth) and basmati for most other uses, especially with Indian style curries, but we also eat it with "American" and even "Chinese" dishes.
BTW, if you have access to Trader Joe's, they have a good brown Basmati in packages that aren't huge (I think about 1 pound). I love brown Basmati!
I don't know if you are in the US, but Lundberg also makes smaller bags of brown Basmati (and brown Jasmine) that are about 1 lb which you can find at any regular grocery store, in case you don't have a Trader Joe's around. I have also seen brown Basmati at Asian groceries around me...but don't know what is available to you.
If you like Jasmine rice, I suspect you will like Basmati. Think a long grain rice that, like dkenworthy said, is more fluffy than sticky, and has more of a "toothsome" consistency as opposed to the softer texture of Jasmine, or regular shorter grain rice.
Basmati rice has a delicately fragrant flavour and shows up the ubiquitous american long-grain rice as the chalky, flavourless rubbish it really is. 
It has a lower GI than long-grain and the grains get longer when they cook rather than fatter. I'm sure you can get a 500g bag somewhere. Enjoy
I get two pound boxes of both brown and white basmati rice at a local Indian grocery, and also buy it in bulk at Whole Foods market. It's my favorite rice.
Brown basmati rice is my favourite. It's slightly sweet, great for coconut rice and it only takes 20 mins to cook.
And really? They only sell it in 5 lbs bags? There must be some other source.
Basmati is great, it has a specific flavour and goes really well with the curry condiment.
I can't speak to white basmati, not having had it in ages, but I LOVE brown basmati. It has such a nutty, rich, lovely flavor. I like it with grilled chicken and a bit of Greek Salad.
What kind of meals do you make with the rice? How do you prepare it? Just wondered if you would not mind sharing a dish.
Thank you for everybody's input! I usually cook Chinese food - lots of stir fried veggies, steamed fish, etc. and add Japanese sometimes too - raw tofu with soy sauce and scallions, fish balls, etc.
I have never found the brown basmati, but, have never eaten long grain white since I tried this. It is fluffy and dry, no stodge!
I like it fine with grilled chicken, or fish. I might do an asian style marinade, for fish, teriyaki: (2 parts sherry or sake, 1 part shoyu, 1 part mirin, garlic and ginger), or for chicken, thai style (1 part fish sauce, 1 part lime juice, basil, kaffir lime leaves, chopped fresh chilis, sugar to taste), and then some sort of a salad, even a simple one of vinegar and sugar over sweet onions and cukes, with a bit of chopped chili, or a sesame/vinegar flavor over tomatoes and thinly sliced onions, both very goo. I like to serve both meal types with brown basmati. I use it in place of Jasmin rice on all my Thai meals.
A good place for yummy Thai recipes is thaitable.com. I avoid the coconut milk based recipes, but most of the other ones fit nicely into my caloric needs.
