Round grain rice: properties, calorie content and distinctive features
Rice confidently occupies a leading position among cereals around the world. To date, there are about 15,000 varieties of this product. It deservedly enjoys popularity, because the fiber contained in it, vitamins and nutrients provide natural nutrition to our body. According to published studies, each Japanese consumes 100 kg of this cereal per year.
Memories of rice date back to BC, and are rooted in Asia. In Russia, cereal appeared about 300 years ago, and firmly entered the daily diet of a person. After all, it is easy to prepare, and there are quite a few dishes with its use.
Rice is grown in Russia, Ukraine, Italy, Japan, China. This culture is not particularly whimsical.
Nutritional value, calories
White round-grain rice is the most frequent guest on the shelves of Russian stores. It contains a small amount of fat, has almost no protein, and is rich in carbohydrates. It is very nutritious and satisfying.
Its calorie content per 100 grams is 350 kcal. Fats - 0.4 grams, proteins - 0.1 grams, carbohydrates - 79 grams.
Due to grinding and separation from its shell, rice loses a significant amount of nutrients and fiber. But still, the vitamins of group B, E, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, and iron contained in it are quite enough to meet the needs of the body.
White round grain rice has a high glycemic index of 79. This means the presence of fast carbohydrates in the product.In other words, there is a rapid saturation due to an increase in blood sugar levels. It should be borne in mind that the product is also digested very quickly.
White round rice is obtained by grinding the grain in an industrial way, where it is cleaned of the outer shell, along with which the fiber is also removed. This rice variety has a very high starch content. The product is quite sticky.
This variety of rice differs from long rice in stickiness, nutrient content, cooking time, and the amount of carbohydrates.
White long parboiled rice is steamed under pressure, due to which all useful substances pass from the shell into the grain. Such rice is not sticky, less high-calorie, always crumbly, more healthy. Its glycemic index is 38, which is almost half that of round grains, it contains little starch, which means less carbohydrates. It is digested more slowly, and saturates the body for a longer time. It does not contain gluten, and therefore is indicated for use by diabetics. Its taste is quite pronounced. Long varieties of rice are considered more elite. But still, you should not completely abandon round-grain rice.
After all, he, without having his pronounced taste, imperceptibly helps our taste buds. In other words, it absorbs the aromas and flavors of foods that are cooked at the same time very well, emphasizing them favorably.
Useful properties and contraindications.
Round grain rice is often prescribed by doctors for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. In this case, it should be prepared without oil and salt.
It is also used by people suffering from kidney disease. While in the human body, rice absorbs sodium salts, while cleansing the body.
There are a number of recipes for cleansing the body with rice.However, you should consult your doctor before doing this.
Despite the many positive characteristics, there are contraindications to its use.
- The product is contraindicated in people suffering from diabetes due to the high content of starch and gluten, leading to a sharp increase in blood sugar levels.
- It is not recommended to use cereal for those who suffer from constipation. Due to its starchy and sticky nature, the situation can only get worse.
- Frequent use is also unfavorable, because rice accumulates sodium salts in the body.
- It is advisable to exclude this variety of rice for people who are prone to being overweight.
Cooking features
The round-grain variety is very easy to cook even for an inexperienced hostess, it will take about 15-20 minutes to cook.
It is unlikely that it will be possible to prepare a crumbly dish, because stickiness is the main quality that characterizes it. But it is still possible to reduce stickiness. Let's look at some helpful tips.
- It is better to take thick-walled dishes for cooking, with a tight-fitting lid.
- Rice should be washed very well under cold running water. At least 5 times, however, the Japanese believe that rice should be washed exactly 7 times. When washing, possible small debris will go away and part of the starch, which provides stickiness to the rice, will be washed out.
- It is better to pour rice into boiling salted water, for a more crumbly product, use the proportions of water and rice 3: 1. This will make the grain more whole.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
- Cover with a tight lid and simmer for about 25 minutes over low heat.
- Do not stir the product during cooking.
- After cooking, remove the pan from the heat and let it brew for about 10 minutes.
But still, these are recommendations for cooking less glutinous rice.If it is planned to cook meatballs, stuffed peppers, casseroles, sushi from it, then stickiness will only help.
Recipes
Classical
Rice washed under cold water is left to drain in a colander. After that, put it in a saucepan, add water. The proportion can be 2: 1 or 1.5: 1, depending on whether it will be cooked under the lid or not. Cook over low heat without stirring. If the cereal is cooked in a saucepan without a lid, then it will take 20 minutes to cook, in the case of a lid - 15 minutes. Next, turn off the fire, add oil, salt, and let the rice brew for about 10 minutes.
- If the cereal was prepared for sushi, then after cooking it is not necessary to add oil and salt. After the rice is infused, add vinegar and sauce.
- For meatballs and stuffed peppers, cereal is best used half cooked. That is, cook according to a standard recipe, only after boiling, turn off and cover with a lid so that the rice is infused.
Vegetable casserole with rice, zucchini and mushrooms
Ingredients:
- half cooked rice - 1 cup;
- one medium zucchini;
- 2 eggs;
- 3 tablespoons fried mushrooms with onions;
- salt and pepper to taste;
- 2-3 tablespoons of flour;
- 1 small onion;
- dill;
- cheese.
Courgette grate on a fine grater, salt and pepper. Add eggs to it. Chop the onion and dill, mix with the zucchini-egg mixture. Add rice, fried mushrooms and mix everything. At the end, pour in the flour, the mixture should be thick, but not steep.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease a casserole dish with vegetable oil, place the mixture in it and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove the casserole, sprinkle with grated cheese and send for another 5 minutes.
Serve with whole vegetables and salads.
Peppers stuffed with meat and rice
Ingredients:
- 6-8 pieces of bell pepper;
- 200 grams of minced pork or pork beef;
- salt and pepper to taste;
- half-cooked rice - 1 cup;
- tomato paste - 90 grams;
- small bulb;
- 1 egg.
Remove stems and seeds from peppers. Mix minced meat with egg, salt, pepper, finely chopped onion, rice. Fill the peppers with the minced meat, put it in a saucepan. Peppers can be pierced several times with a fork so that the minced meat inside is more juicy and the tomato juice soaks it better. Prepare a filling of water, tomato paste, salt and sugar, mixing everything to taste, pour over the peppers so that they are not visible. Bring the pepper to a boil over low heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes. 5 minutes before turning off, add bay leaf, peppercorns.
Today, on the shelves of stores you can find many varieties and producers of white cereal. Particular attention should be paid to a product that does not require boiling, but simple steaming for 5-15 minutes under a lid. Under no circumstances should you buy it. After all, it has undergone additional processing, and it already contains almost no useful substances. The less the product is processed from the moment of harvesting to the moment it reaches the buyer's table, the more natural and healthy it is.
You will learn more about how to cook round-grain rice in the following video.