BIGASAN offers over a hundred rice varieties, home-grown and imported.

I have not seen a store that has every kind of rice grain that suits every palate and rice recipe anyone can think of.

The store is the brainchild of Benzon Tan, who belongs to a family of rice growers. Benzon had by then decided to do something different. He had started a clothing line called Blued.

It was in a meeting with the Ayala group about his Blued outlet that the master plan for Market! Market! was revealed to him.

This gave him the idea of a store with a vast display of rice varieties from all over the world, similar to the tea store he saw in Xiamen.

Adhering to the one town-one product concept, Bigasan has Tinawon (Ifugao), Champorado Blend (Cordillera?no need to add chocolate, just enjoy the natural rich taste of Kalinga native rice blended with balatinaw, dark-colored glutinous rice), Green Harvest (Iloilo) and Organic Red Rice (Mt. Isarog, Bicol, the only OCCP-certified organic rice plantation).

The seasonal types include Dinorado (Mindoro, Nueva Ecija and Bataan), Pink Dinorado (Naga) and Malagkit Sungsung (Mindoro and Palawan).

Speaking of malagkit, the store is a haven for the magkakanin. There are Sticky Rice from Vietnam and Thailand, Black Glutinous Rice, Japanese Mochi Rice and local varieties from Palawan and Mindoro, Bukidnon Pirurutung for puto bumbong and the fantastic pinipig.

They also have specialty rice for congee, varieties perfect for fried rice, freshly milled/chilled brown rice, brewer?s rice for pets, and even quality rice for people on a budget.

B-herbs

A most interesting discovery is B- herbs, herbal-coated rice from Thailand, which helps improve one?s health. It has been tested and studied by Kasetsart University in cooperation with Bangkok Thai Market Co., Ltd.

B-herb grains are available in beautiful colors and distinctive flavors.

Roselle contains flavonoids, Proanthocyanin, organic acid, cellulose and vitamins C and D. It?s used in making anti-spasmodic beverages. In Thai medicine, it is used for the treatment of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, gastric ulceration and the removal of bladder stones. It is also used for immune modulation.

Turmeric has active substances?polyphenol and curcumin, a strong antioxidant. In Ayurveda, turmeric blocks inflammation, anti-gastric flux and improves the heart.

Pandan or pandanus extract has a delightful scent and gives the rice a lovely fragrance. Pandanus is known for its healing properties and cooling effect. It is excellent for the treatment of internal inflammation, urinary infection, skin diseases and colds.
Butterfly Pea is rich in blue Proanthocyanin, a natural antioxidant.

The B-herb line includes cereal grains with herbal rice in four variants: garlic, known for its antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects; turmeric; chili, for spice and capsaicin, a phytochemical said to ?warm and improve blood circulation, relieve muscle pain and speed up fat metabolism.? Chili is also an antioxidant rich in vitamin C; and green tea, a powerful antioxidant effective in lowering cholesterol.

I am experimenting with the B- herbs in class. I tried the turmeric rice with my kebabs and it was perfect. Instead of using one cup rice to one and one-fourths cup water, I find it better with a one cup to one and three-fourths to two cups water ratio. I?ll share my recipes in my next column.

Rice bran oil

Thanks to Tan, rice bran oil is now available. I?ve been trying to source it primarily for its high smoking point, 495? F, great for frying chicken and tempura.

But, as Thai research shows, rice bran oil is ?rich in vitamin E, oryzanol, monounsaturated fatty acid and contains 0% trans fatty acids.?

Bigasan?Benzon Tan, tel. 09163304223; TriNoma, tel. 9010550; Market! Market!, tel. 8867792.

On August 29, I am conducting a culinary tour to Taal.

For inquiries about my cooking class schedule and my line-up for the Pugon Cooking, Buffet, Coffee and Bakeshop and Lola Basyang (Traditional Filipino Cooking) series, call 9289296 / 9273008 (Jane) and 6474744 / 0908-2372346 (Jhem).

E-mail the author at raspiras@inquirer.com.ph.