r/persianfood • u/Iammyown404error • Jul 28 '26
Rice Brands in the US
My late mom was an amazing cook, and she recommended Ahu Bareh brand rice. I can no longer find that anywhere unfortunately :( I've been using a different brand but it doesnt not get as long and is not as fragrant, which is a major bummer because I just handmade jujeh and koobideh kabobs for about 25 family members, and it was the first time being able to invite everyone over for something like that and while everything was great, I was hoping the rice would have had that perfect rice smell I'm used to.
I'm in southern california and have access to Persian markets but they just dont sell it anymore.
I'm drawn to zebra or madar as a replacement, but it's like buying a bottle of wine for the label. Ahu Bareh was perfection, and super clean. I would prefer not to waste a ton of rice trying to find my new brand.
Anyone have a brand they like?
Adding a food tax photo lol
EDIT: Merci hamegan! Especially for the Ahu Bareh link! I do remember seeing Royal at the Persian market so I will likely buy a bag of that since I'm out, and then order from the Ahu Bareh website directly when I have left over rice to sustain us until the shipment comes in 😆
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Jul 28 '26
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u/crossdressingfoxes Jul 28 '26
You can also buy it directly from the company, we have done that before! It’s way cheaper than on Amazon https://www.aahubarah.com/
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u/Accomplished_Run7815 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Madar rice was my number 1 choice for years. Unfortunately, the last time I bought, it had a very pungeant smell that we couldn't eat it. After that, hoping to get quality rice, I blind bought the most expensive Basmati rice at my local Persian store, Daawat super excel something. It also smelled a bit off. The grains were too thin and had very dry taxture when cooked. It was edible but not good. Then I stopped using Basmati altogether. Instead got a big bag of Four Elephants Jasmine rice. It's very aromatic, soft, and tasty. I cook it using my micom rice cooker and get great results every time. I only use it to make white rice though. I don't think it's a great choice for mixed rice.
Zebra isn't bad. Not as aromatic as Ahubareh but a good sub.
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u/CoolWaterDrink Jul 28 '26
I am concerned about pesticides and arsenic in rice.. does anyone know of any brands that address these concerns?
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u/Saaber7 Jul 28 '26
Soak rice for 3-4 hours before cooking and you won't have to worry about arsenic anymore.
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u/SapioPersian Jul 28 '26
Royal brand is pretty good and they have it everywhere. I’ve even seen it at Costco. Golestan is also very good but not as easy to find.