Umandawa Corn Rice is maize, not rice: dried corn kernels broken down into small golden grits that cook and eat much like a grain of rice. In Sinhala it is bada iringu sahal, literally corn rice, and it is also sold as Kernel of Rice. The 500g clear pouch shows the grain itself, a mix of deep yellow pieces and paler, chalky fragments.
Sri Lankan cooks already pair corn with rice in dishes such as bada iringu kiribath, milk rice made with corn. Corn rice goes a step further and puts the grain itself where the rice would be. The only ingredient is corn rice.
To cook it, rinse the grits well and soak them for 1 to 2 hours, then simmer with water in a ratio of 1 to 2.5 until tender. It can be served in place of rice, used in salads, or mixed with other grains.
Umandawa is a Buddhist monastery and retreat in Sri Lanka that farms its land and sells a range of Sri Lankan grains and foods, including traditional rice varieties. This corn rice belongs to that range, a Sri Lankan product sold under the Umandawa name.
