Sella rice is basmati rice that has been parboiled while still in its husk.
The parboiling process changes the starch in the grains. After parboiling, the rice is dried, then milled as usual. This milled parboiled rice is nutritionally superior to standard milled rice because the process causes nutrients from the outer husk to move into the grain so that less is subsequently lost when the husk is polished off during milling. Nutritionally it is comparable to brown rice.
It has a more fragrant aroma, a golden-yellow colour and a deeper taste. The grains are less brittle and have long individual grains.
Sella rice takes longer to cook than normal basmati rice. Despite it being marketed as parboiled rice, it is not at all like an instant rice.
I have occasionally seen this rice in the big chain supermarkets, usually from the normal brands. Please make sure you do not buy instant rice or you will be sadly disappointed. The best place to get sella rice is from good Indian grocers. Seek their advice and recommendation.
Please look at our comments on buying rice and storing rice.
Where would you use such a rice? We usually use it in pulao or biryani. You can also use sella rice in many of the recipes that call for basmati rice. Bear in mind that the cooking times differ, so adjust the recipe accordingly.
This is the right explanation of Sella rice .
I lived in Sydney, Australia for more than 20 years and always used sella basmati as my first choice when buying. I was told that sella basmati has less carbohydrate and that better choice for diabetics. I near consumed white rice since then.
Now I moved back to my home town, Bangkok and very hard to find sella rice. Anyone has suggestions?