Chennaiites turn to native rice varieties to boost immunity

Chennai

From buying the normal rice, their attention has now shifted to getting traditional rice varieties like Karuppu Kavuni, unpolished Thooyamalli rice, Mappillai Samba, etc. For Menaka Thilagarajan, who is on a mission to revive indigenous rice varieties, this lockdown period has become an extremely busy time. Daily, she gets calls enquiring about the nutritional value of different kinds of rice and millets. “Unlike before, people have been extremely cautious about their health and finding ways to increase immunity. After the pandemic, there is a huge shift in food choices and people started making simple homecooked meals. They have replaced the usual white rice with native varieties like Mappillai Samba, Kattuyanam, Unakkalari, unpolished Thooyamalli, Karuppu Kavuni and so on. Also, there is an increase in the amount of millet usage in the city,” says Menaka.

 There are around 100 traditional rice varieties in Tamil Nadu, but most of them have been forgotten over time and are unheard of. For the past few years, she has been travelling to various parts of the state in search of traditional rice varieties. “These rice varieties have great nutritional value and can be consumed by children and elders as well. Through my organic rice store, Mannvasanai, I have been home delivering rice bags during the lockdown as well. I have also made a health mix with Karuppu Kavuni and different grains,” she adds.

 Since many aren’t used to cook with native varieties, Menaka also gets calls asking the method of cooking rice. “Some varieties need to be soaked in water for a few hours before cooking. Also, there is a difference in the water to rice ratio. You can make dishes like idli, dosa, puttu, idiyappam with unpolished rice. I also share some easy recipes over the phone. Native rice consumption shouldn’t be just to improve the immunity for time being; one should continue using it forever. It’s a wakeup call for all of us to take care of our health and sustain the future of the next generation,” Menaka opines