Description
Della is an old variety of long grain aromatic rice. It smells like popcorn while it is cooking and has a distinctive nutty flavor. Popcorn rice enhances the flavor of anything you cook. We grow and package the rice exclusively at Baker Farms and Campbell Farms. Our rice is a “Certified Product of Louisiana”.
jakajema –
I really can’t believe that no one else has entered a review of this wonderful rice before me!!
I tried this rice on the recommendation of Chef Melissa Martin, whose book “Mosquito Supper Club” chronicles a style of southern Louisiana cooking that might someday disappear, thanks to dams, hurricanes, global warming and the apathy of the business interests and politicians who could potentially do something to save it.
Baker’s Popcorn Rice is a good example of a native American food that is unique and deserved to be saved for future generations. The flavor is, as the website states, slightly nutty and delicate. It’s vaguely similar to traditional long grain rice, but more subtle and delicate. The real key is to neither overcook nor overseason.
Chef Martin prefers the boil and drain method of cooking. But I like preparing it as a Pilaf, sauteeing the grains for ten minutes with finely diced onion and celery, butter and olive oil. Add just a pinch of of black pepper, a strong pinch of salt and just one small bay leaf. Use a very light stock or good quality water in the ratio of 1 cup of rice to 1.5/1.75 liquid. (1 cup of rice to 2 cups of liquid turns the rice too mushy) Bring contents to a boil, drop heat to super low and cover. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, then turn off the heat and don’t touch the pot for 20+ minutes. Uncover, fluff and serve. The less you play with it, the better.
Many commercial rices are a bit boring. While Popcorn rice is great as a side for all Cajun and Creole cooking, you’ll find that you can happily enjoy a simple bowl of steamed Baker rice topped with a pat of butter and some chopped scallions, and it tastes just great. You can actually taste the rice! It’s tender to the bite, delicate, with mild nut and grass overtones. It tastes like it came from a farm, not an international conglomerate.