Satvic food

Traditional rices of South India

Tamil Nadu alone once grew thousands of rice varieties — each shaped by its soil, its water and the farmers who saved its seed for generations. These are the traditional rices we cook with: red, black, golden and fragrant grains, most of them from the Cauvery delta and the dry lands of southern Tamil Nadu, with a few from our neighbours in Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra.

Mappillai Samba

Cauvery delta, Tamil Nadu

The “bridegroom’s rice” — a hardy red grain once fed to young men before a wedding for strength. Rich in fibre and iron.

Kavuni

Chettinad (Karaikudi, Sivaganga), Tamil Nadu

A glossy black rice, once grown only for royalty. Chettinad homes cook it into a sweet, sticky kavuni arisi for festivals.

Thooyamalli

Cauvery delta, Tamil Nadu

Named for the jasmine bud it resembles — a slender, pearly white grain that is light, soft and gently fragrant.

Karunguruvai

Thanjavur & Tiruvarur, Tamil Nadu

A dark, almost black-husked rice long valued in Siddha medicine. Earthy in taste and traditionally cooked as a healing kanji.

Kattuyanam

Cauvery delta, Tamil Nadu

A towering red rice whose stalks grow tall enough to hide a wild elephant — hence the name. Needs no fertiliser and stands up to floods.

Poongar

Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur & the delta, Tamil Nadu

A quick-growing red rice traditionally given to women — through pregnancy and after childbirth. Soft and wholesome.

Kullakar

Thanjavur & Tiruvarur, Tamil Nadu

A short-season red rice with a mild sweetness. Light on blood sugar and filling, so it is a favourite for everyday meals.

Neelam Samba

Cauvery delta, Tamil Nadu

A long-season samba rice traditionally given to new mothers to help with nursing. Soft and easy to digest.

Kuzhiyadichan

Rain-fed lands of southern Tamil Nadu

A drought-hardy rice that grows with very little water. Like Neelam Samba, it is a traditional food for nursing mothers.

Garudan Samba

Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu

A white samba rice named after Garuda, the eagle. Soft when cooked and well suited to everyday meals and pongal.

Ilupai Poo Samba

Thanjavur & Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu

Named after the sweet-smelling iluppai (mahua) flower — a fragrant samba rice for festive meals and sweet pongal.

Milagu Samba

Cauvery delta, Tamil Nadu

Small, round grains no bigger than a peppercorn (milagu). A fragrant rice that cooks up fluffy and separate.

Mani Samba

Southern Tamil Nadu

Tiny bead-like grains (mani) that grow well in dry, rain-fed fields. Light and easy to digest — good for children and elders.

Thanga Samba

Cauvery delta, Tamil Nadu

The “golden” samba, named for its golden husk. A soft, mildly sweet grain that is lovely with sambar and rasam.

Sivan Samba

Cauvery delta, Tamil Nadu

A dark, slow-growing samba rice once offered in temples. Firm, nutty and rich in minerals.

Kallundai Samba

Rain-fed lands of southern Tamil Nadu

A sturdy rice with round, pebble-like grains (kallundai) that survives on little rain. Hearty and filling.

Aathur Kichali Samba

Attur, Salem district, Tamil Nadu

A fine, fragrant white rice from the Attur valley — soft and separate, a favourite for variety rices and festive cooking.

Arupatham Kuruvai

Cauvery delta, Tamil Nadu

A “sixty-day” rice — one of the quickest to grow, sown in the short kuruvai season. A red grain that is light and wholesome.

Kaar

Ramanathapuram & the dry south, Tamil Nadu

A red rice that grows on rain alone in dry, salty soils. Its strength and fibre made it the everyday grain of farming families.

Kudavazhai

Coastal delta (Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur), Tamil Nadu

A red rice that thrives near the sea, where salty water ruins most crops. Rich in fibre and known to keep you full for long.

Parakkum Chittu

Southern Tamil Nadu

The “flying sparrow” rice — small, light grains that cook soft and are easy to digest.

Rathasali

Kerala & Tamil Nadu

The “blood-red” rice praised in Ayurveda and Siddha for building strength — given to the young, the old and those recovering from illness.

Nattu Ponni

Cauvery delta, Tamil Nadu

The native, unpolished Ponni — the soft, everyday rice of Tamil homes, grown the old way without chemicals.

Salem Sanna

Salem, Tamil Nadu

A thin, fine-grained (sanna) rice from Salem — light, quick to cook and lovely for everyday meals.

Kaikuthal Arisi

Villages across Tamil Nadu

Hand-pounded rice — the bran and germ are left on, so it keeps the nutrition that machine polishing strips away.

Matta

Palakkad, Kerala

Kerala’s famous red rice (Palakkadan Matta, a protected GI), with bold grains and an earthy taste. Hearty with sambar and curries.

Navara

Palakkad (Chittur), Kerala

A medicinal rice central to Ayurveda — used in healing therapies and cooked as a nourishing kanji. Protected as a GI.

Rajamudi

Hassan & Mysuru, Karnataka

Once given as tribute to the Mysore kings — hence the “royal” name. A red rice, soft and naturally slightly sweet.

Sona Masuri

Andhra Pradesh, Telangana & Karnataka

A light, medium-grain rice that cooks fluffy and soft — a much-loved everyday grain across South India.

Kalanamak

Uttar Pradesh (Siddharthnagar, Terai)

Our one guest from the north: a black-husked, fragrant rice said to date back to the Buddha’s time. Protected as a GI.

And the millets

Long before polished white rice, these hardy millets filled South Indian plates. They grow on little water, keep you full for longer and are cooked just like rice.

Kambu (Pearl Millet)

Dry lands across Tamil Nadu

A cooling summer grain in Tamil homes, cooked as kambu sadam or kambu koozh. Rich in iron.

Ragi (Finger Millet)

Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri & Karnataka

Stirred into a firm ragi kali (ragi mudde in Karnataka) — a calcium-rich staple of farmers in the hills and dry plains.

Samai (Little Millet)

Eastern Ghats & Javadhu Hills, Tamil Nadu

A tiny grain that cooks just like rice. Light, high in fibre and gentle on blood sugar.

Varagu (Kodo Millet)

Dry lands of Tamil Nadu

An ancient millet mentioned in Sangam poetry. Cooks up fluffy and works well as a plain sadam or in pulao.

White Solam (Sorghum)

Tamil Nadu & the Deccan

Known as cholam in Tamil and jowar in the north — a sturdy, gluten-free grain with a mild, nutty taste.

Yellow Solam

Southern Tamil Nadu

A traditional yellow-grained sorghum, now rarely grown. Hearty and filling, cooked whole or broken like rice.

Red Sorghum

Dry lands of Tamil Nadu & Karnataka

A red-skinned cholam, rich in antioxidants, cooked whole like rice for a chewy, earthy plate.

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