Brown Rice Recipes
Rice is one of the most common side dishes, however, white cereal is actually not that healthy for the body. If you use brown rice, which has not lost its useful shell, then by preparing familiar dishes, you can significantly improve your health.
What it is?
In fact, brown rice is the same white, but unpolished. Due to the fact that the shell is not removed, the benefits of the product are increased several times. It has been proven that during grinding, almost 80% of the nutrients disappear, and brown groats retain all of them. Cooking brown rice is a little different, but not too difficult. It can be easily distinguished from the white counterpart by the characteristic shade of the natural skin. The calorie content of the product is 331 kilocalories per 100 grams. Brown rice is rich in vitamins, including B and PP groups, minerals (potassium, magnesium, copper, iron and others), as well as fiber. It is also important to mention that the amount of polyunsaturated fats in brown rice is three and a half times higher than in white rice.
Benefit and harm
This cereal is useful for many diseases. The product removes toxins and toxins from the body, is responsible for reducing blood sugar and prevents the development of certain inflammatory processes. Therefore, brown rice is used in the diet of patients with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, as well as problems with the digestive tract.Since cereals have a beneficial effect on metabolic processes, the product is recommended to almost everyone, because the condition of hair, skin and other parts of the body will definitely change for the better. Doctors also advise those who need to improve intestinal motility and tidy up the nerves to use the product. Harm brown rice has not been identified.
Groats preparation
Due to the presence of the shell, brown rice is much denser and tougher than processed white. This suggests that the preparation of cereals should be longer and more complicated. The grits have to be washed and then soaked - this procedure should speed up the process of further cooking. Rinse the rice in cold water for a long time and carefully. This must be done to remove all dust, gluten, grains of flour and dirt formed both during cultivation and during transportation of the crop. In addition, water will significantly reduce the amount of harmful substances that the rice has been processed with.
The procedure will have to be repeated several times until the liquid becomes clear. When finished, you can pour boiling water over the cereal, and then rinse again with cold water. At the next stage, the rice is soaked in a deep container with cold water. Groats can be soaked up to ten hours, for example, late in the evening for the purpose of morning cooking or in the morning for an evening meal. The minimum recommended soaking period is six hours.
Cooking rules and times
Even before the start of cooking, it should be mentioned that the shelf life of brown cereals is less than white. Therefore, you should not buy rice in large quantities, it is better to limit yourself to the next two meals. Groats are best stored in glass jars with a tight-fitting lid.When starting cooking, it is very important to observe all proportions, since it is strongly not recommended to add water during cooking. If a mistake was made and towards the end it became clear that almost all the liquid was gone, and the rice is still not ready, you need to remove the pan from the stove and wrap it with a warm towel for several hours.
When choosing dishes, it is advised to give preference to large containers with a wide bottom. Firstly, this will allow the grains to warm up evenly, and secondly, the cereals that have increased almost three times will not come out of the pan. Best of all, brown rice is combined with peppers, turmeric and cumin. It should be warned that it is not suitable for making porridge. A teaspoon of salt is traditionally used per glass of cereal. Bringing the dish to a boil, boil the rice over medium heat for about ten minutes, and then make it minimal and hold it under a closed lid for another half an hour. At the end of cooking, the rice remains under the lid for fifteen minutes so that all the water is completely absorbed.
Popular recipes
On the stove
There are three main methods of preparing this dish for a side dish: on the stove, in a slow cooker and in a double boiler. The easiest way is, of course, the first one. First, a glass of cereal is washed and soaked for the required amount of time. Then the rice is poured with three glasses of cold water and placed on the stove. Water is brought to a boil, kept in this state for eight to ten minutes, after which the water changes to clean cold.
Rice is to be salted, brought to a boil again, reduce the heat to a minimum and leave for half an hour under the lid. When the water is visually absorbed into the grains, you can turn off the fire and leave the product for another ten minutes.If necessary, the saucepan can be additionally wrapped in a towel. You can fill the finished dish with butter or olive oil, and then sprinkle with chopped parsley and dill.
In a double boiler
Brown rice is a very useful product. By cooking it in a double boiler, you can maximize its usefulness: both the structure and properties of the grains will be preserved. You need to do the right thing as follows: pour the cereal into the bowl of the unit, pour cold water, which will be twice as much, close the lid and set the correct mode and time for 35 minutes. In the event that there was no time to soak the rice, the processing time will increase to one hour. Cooking in a slow cooker works in a similar way. Rice is poured into the bowl and filled with water, and the amount of liquid and solid must be the same. In the multicooker, the “Rice” mode is selected and the time is set from thirty to forty minutes.
It is delicious to cook a variety of dishes from brown rice, including those that satisfy the concept of "dietary". Since the product has a savory nutty flavor, care must be taken to ensure that other ingredients used are combined with it. Brown grits feel good next to seafood, veal, chicken, turkey and other meat products, including fatty ones. Traditional is the combination of rice with mushrooms or vegetables, as well as the use as a component of pilaf. It is impossible not to mention some recipes for soups, salads, desserts and casseroles.
Greek casserole
The preparation of Greek casserole with brown rice will be very tasty and uncomplicated. First, the cereal is separately prepared in the amount of 100 grams, after which it is cooled and washed.One egg and 100 grams of grated hard cheese are added to the rice container. This mixture is laid out in the prepared baking dish and put in the oven for five minutes. At this time, a medium-sized zucchini is peeled, rubbed on a grater and gets rid of excess juice.
200 grams of Feta cheese is taken, kneaded and combined with zucchini, after which two eggs, diced bell pepper and chopped dill are added to the mixture. Everything is supplemented with ten percent cream, salt and pepper and mixed well. The resulting mass is laid out in a mold on top of the base, everything is removed in the oven. The required temperature is 180 degrees, and the cooking time is about half an hour. A few minutes before the end of the process, the casserole can be sprinkled with grated cheese to create a crust.
Risotto with brown rice
Another popular dish is risotto with brown rice. Groats will be required in the amount of one glass, of course, it will first have to be washed and soaked. One small onion is cut into small pieces and fried with two cloves of garlic until the mixture becomes almost transparent. Then you can add finely chopped or grated carrots and a glass of rice to it. Everything is steamed a little under a closed lid, after which it is poured with 600 milliliters of chicken or vegetable broth. The dish will be stewed for twenty minutes. At the end of cooking, spices are added, such as curry and basil, as well as tomato paste ten minutes before the fire is turned off.
warm salad
Brown rice can even become an ingredient in a warm salad.To prepare one of them, you will need 100 grams of cereal, 150 grams of bacon, one eggplant, one red onion, 20 grams of olives, three tablespoons of olive oil and spices. Rice is prepared according to a traditional recipe. At this time, the bacon is cut into thin slices and thoroughly fried, after which it is laid out in a bowl. In another pan, onion semicircles are processed in olive oil, they are replaced by eggplant cubes with peel. Olives are cut into rings and, together with the rest of the prepared ingredients, are laid out in a bowl. Everything is salted and peppered, optionally dressed with the remains of the oil on which the ingredients were fried.
Rice with chicken hearts
Such a simple product as chicken hearts, along with brown rice, will turn into an appetizing dish. Ingredients include a kilogram of offal, 100 grams of bacon, a glass of cereal, half a glass of frozen peas, five tablespoons of soy sauce, a tablespoon of honey, a teaspoon of dried garlic, half a teaspoon of two types of peppers and salt. Each heart is washed and cut into two parts. Soy sauce is mixed with honey, after which offal is lowered into the mixture for a couple of hours.
At this time, the rice is cooked in the usual way, and the bacon begins to fry in a pan. The finished meat is added along with the marinade to the bacon, the whole mixture is stewed until the moisture evaporates. When all the moisture is gone, the hearts are fried a little more, and then peas, garlic and spices are laid out in the pan. Everything is kept on fire for some time, after which the meat mixture is mixed with the finished rice. If necessary, the dish is salted and garnished with fresh dill, parsley and tomato slices.
Rice with spinach
Fans of Greek cuisine will love the combination of brown rice and spinach. In addition to a glass of cereal, you will need a tablespoon of vegetable oil, an onion head, a bunch of fresh spinach, two cloves of garlic, two glasses of chicken or vegetable broth, fresh parsley, 100 grams of Feta cheese, spices and lemon juice. Finely chopped onion is fried in hot oil until it turns golden. After about five minutes, it can be combined with garlic.
Fresh spinach is cut into strips and, together with washed rice and dill, is removed to the onion and garlic. Everything is poured with two glasses of broth and put on fire for about fifty minutes. The substance must be salted and seasoned with spices. The readiness of the dish is determined by the state of the cereal - as soon as it becomes soft, you can turn it off. The dish is served sprinkled with feta cheese cubes and sprinkled with lemon juice.
See the next video for the recipe for brown rice with mushrooms and green peas.
Thanks for the helpful and interesting article! Brown (brown) rice is called unpolished rice, which is practically not processed. It is believed that it is thanks to such minimal processing that it retains the maximum amount of useful substances and minerals.