Tarn Taran Hand Pounding Rice Dehusking Technique

In older farming households of Tarn Taran, women use wooden dhenki foot-lever rice hullers or stone hand-pestles to dehusk home-grown paddy, producing lightly milled rice that retains more bran and nutrition than machine-polished rice. The hand-pounded rice is valued for its fuller flavour and used in festival preparations like kheer and rice pudding. While mechanical mills have replaced home pounding for commercial quantities, the practice survives for select varieties like Basmati 370 whose aromatic compounds are better preserved by gentle hand pounding.