Valley Harvest · Semi-Milled Grain
Bhutanese Red Rice
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It's one of the only rice varieties on Earth that grows at nearly 9,000 feet, irrigated by glacial meltwater rather than the tropical lowlands rice usually needs.
Grown in terraced paddies across Punakha and Wangdue Phodrang, this medium-grain rice keeps its russet bran layer through milling, cooking in about 20 minutes into a soft, nutty-tasting grain. It's the base of nearly every meal in the valley, served alongside ema datshi and other stews at homes and eateries alike.
Why it's made this way: Punakha and Wangdue's river valleys sit at just the altitude and glacial irrigation this rice needs to thrive, making the two districts, along with neighboring Paro, the historic heartland of a grain found almost nowhere else at this elevation.
Roughly what's in it
220kcal
5gprotein
47gcarbs
2gfat
Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.
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