The chart
| Variety | Tamil / Malayalam | GI (range) | Band | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black rice (karuppu kavuni) | கருப்பு கவுணி / കറുത്ത അരി | ~42–55* | Low–Med | Anthocyanin-rich bran; whole-grain only — see the full answer |
| Basmati, traditional | பாசுமதி / ബസുമതി | ~50–58 | Low–Med | Higher amylose; firmer grain digests slower |
| Hand-pounded (kaikuthal) | கைக்குத்தல் அரிசி | ~55–65* | Medium | Bran partly retained; close to parboiled behaviour |
| Matta / Kerala red parboiled | சிவப்பு அரிசி / മട്ട അരി | ~55–65* | Medium | Parboiling + bran = the sensible everyday choice here |
| Parboiled white (puzhungal) | புழுங்கல் அரிசி / പുഴുങ്ങലരി | ~64–72 | Medium–High | Parboiling helps; polishing takes some back |
| Brown rice | பழுப்பு அரிசி | ~66–68 | Medium–High | Fibre and minerals intact; texture limits adoption |
| Ponni / sona masoori, polished | பொன்னி | ~70–77* | High | Behaves as polished white; limited variety-specific data |
| White polished (raw) | வெள்ளை அரிசி / വെളുത്ത അരി | ~70–77 | High | Fastest of the everyday staples |
| Idli rice (in fermented idli) | இட்லி அரிசி | ~60–69 (as idli) | Medium | Fermentation + dal in batter moderate the response |
* limited published, variety-specific data — ranges are indicative, stated honestly rather than precisely.
What actually separates the varieties
Three mechanisms, worth knowing because they predict foods beyond this chart. Amylose content — rices higher in amylose (basmati) form starch that digests more slowly than the stickier, amylopectin-heavy types. The bran layer — intact or partly intact bran (black, brown, matta, hand-pounded) adds fibre that physically slows digestion. Parboiling — steaming paddy before milling drives nutrients inward and re-orders the starch, which is why puzhungal and matta rice test below raw-milled white even at similar polish. Polishing strips the first two advantages; soft overcooking undoes all three.
Reading it against real kitchens
The best rice is the one your household will keep eating in a controlled portion. For most families on this border, that is matta or parboiled rice at three-quarters to one cup cooked, served with dal, vegetables, curd or fish — not a specialty grain abandoned after three weeks. Basmati suits some budgets and dishes; black rice earns its place as an occasional rotation, not the miracle the market claims — the full black-rice answer separates its facts from its marketing. And the kanji family — rice kanji, ragi kanji, and overnight pazhankanji — behaves differently enough from plate rice that it has its own answer: the softer and more watery the preparation, the faster the same rice raises sugar.