Ingredients · Malabar food glossary
Jeerakasala Rice (Kaima)
Also known as: Kaima rice, Jeerakashala, Khaima rice, Biryani rice (Kerala)
A short-grain, naturally aromatic Kerala rice - the only rice used for authentic Thalassery (Malabar) biryani, cooked without soaking for a soft, non-sticky result.
Jeerakasala, also called Kaima, is a short-grain aromatic rice cultivated in Kerala and prized across the Malabar coast. The grains are small - closer to a jeera (cumin) seed in outline than to long basmati, which is where the name points - and carry a natural fragrance that needs no aging.
It is the defining ingredient of Thalassery biryani: unlike basmati it is not soaked before cooking, it cooks quickly, and it holds a soft, separate, slightly plump texture through the dum stage instead of elongating. Swapping in basmati changes the dish enough that Malabar cooks consider it a different biryani.
Beyond biryani it appears in Malabar ghee rice (neychoru) and festive rice dishes. It is sold across India and online, usually labelled Jeerakasala or Kaima.