Thursday, December 15, 2011

Make Better Brown Rice

Although many people think that white rice looks better than brown, the polishing process removes most of the minerals, vitamins and fiber that make brown rice such a healthy food. Here are two very different recipes for making brown rice that beats white rice any day.


Instructions


Stove-top Rice








1. Rinse 1 cup of brown rice in a bowl of cool water. Drain, cover with cool water and let it soak for 30 minutes. Then drain it again.


2. Coat the bottom of a 2-quart saucepan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Place the pot on a burner turned to medium heat. Transfer the brown rice to the pot and stir it gently over the heat for 2 or 3 minutes, until it smells good.








3. Add 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Turn the burner to high heat and stir gently until the mixture comes to a full boil. Then turn the heat to low, cover the saucepan tightly and let the brown rice simmer for 40 minutes.


4. Turn off the burner and let the rice sit quietly for another fifteen minutes. Take off the lid and fluff up the rice with a fork. You will have about 2 1/2 cups of brown rice. Add any optional ingredients that you would like and serve immediately.


Baked Rice


5. Rinse 1 cup of brown rice in a bowl of cool water. Drain, cover with cool water and let it soak for 1 hour. Then drain it again.


6. Spread rice evenly in the bottom of the baking dish, and set oven to preheat to 235 degrees.


7. Combine 2 cups of water with oil and salt. Bring to a full boil over high heat. Then pour it gently over the brown rice.


8. Cover the baking dish with two layers of heavy aluminum foil, and place it on the middle rack of the oven.


9. Bake the brown rice for an hour. Then remove it from the oven and fluff it up with a fork. Add any optional ingredients desired, and recover with the foil.


10. Let the brown rice sit quietly for another 10 minutes, then serve immediately.

Tags: brown rice, brown rice, cool water, baking dish, bowl cool