The Whole benefits of Brown Rice

Dr Kaviraj Khialani – celebrity Master Chef, is a Mumbai based Author, Writer, Food Designer, Academician having specialised in over 33 international cuisines. Here he lists the various health benefits of Brown rice and the interesting ways we can include it in our diets

Rice has ever since been one good ingredient to experiment with and somehow for me it created a lot of new ideas since it is so easy to modify its texture, form and flavours. From having tried rice in salads, soups, main courses to innovative accompaniments and even desserts, it has always turned out to be a dish well done.

Exploring with varieties of rice is good too since it always gives me a new perspective to understand its adaptability and versatility as well in my kitchen giving me plentiful opportunities to work on it from healthy aspects to even getting it into various forms and concoctions which amused my guests!

To me initially brown rice wasn’t very exciting to include in my plate but as I got to study more about its benefits and nutrient contributions to our diets, I felt the need to rethink and involve the much needed variety too into my kitchen and it’s been a pleasure thereafter.

The Whole grain

Brown rice is a whole grain. That means it contains all parts of the grain – including the fibrous bran, the nutritious germ and the carb-rich endosperm. White rice, on the other hand, has had the bran and germ removed, which are the most nutritious parts of the grain.

Brown rice is typically high in source of manganese which truly benefits our bones, muscle contraction, nerve functions and metabolism. The whole grain also benefits us since it is a good source of calcium, folate, potassium, antioxidants and vitamin B12.

Brown rice has been effective when it comes to reducing weight specially belly fat, since it contains more fiber as compared to our refined grains, it is also called as a heart healthy food since its beneficial compounds help us to reduce the risk of a stroke.

It also assists those who have diabetes to an extent since reducing carb intake and choosing healthier options are always a good choice for blood sugar control in our body. It also has a low glycemic index which is considered useful since it is digested slower and reduces the impact on our blood sugar.

Another important noteworthy point is that brown rice is a gluten free ingredient which makes it easy to include in various healthy foods and it helps to bridge the gap on what to choose, helping us to make a wiser choice when it comes to picking up gluten free ingredients like pasta and crackers as well which can be made with brown rice.

Culinary uses of Brown Rice

• Due to its varied nature, Brown rice is easy to try in various international recipes and dishes giving them with a new look and taste.
• Organic brown rice added to your porridge for a morning breakfast with fruits and other goodies is good to start the day on a healthy positive note.
• An energy bar with brown rice in it can be a good in between meal munch keeping the junkies away.
• It is a good option to use organic brown rice for making a quick fix stir fry recipe with colourful garden veggies and a tadka of Indian spices to serve as a mini meal as well.
• Baked dishes with baby spinach, fresh mushrooms, mixed herbs and baked beans taste great when we add a little brown rice to them and get them sizzling hot onto our plates, it just blends up so well with the flavour of the herbs and the rice.
• Adding brown rice as a binding agent to your burger patties and tikkis etc also adds nutritional additives and also gets you a nice nutty colour outer look when cooked.
• *A minestrone soup tasted much better when I added a couple of spoons of organic brown rice instead of the macaroni pasta as per the classic way.
• Brown rice also is a good option to roll up into innovative sushi concepts with seaweed and other concoctions to make something healthier and different as well from the regular.
• A mushroom and sweet corn risotto is a good option as well to use brown rice in place of Arborio for a change to enhance its value and the taste
• Try using brown rice for making puddings as well – use soy milk and jaggery for sweetening and add fresh and dry fruits to it and serve chilled.
• An organic brown rice phirni cooked with reduced milk the Indian style can also be revamped into an international variety by layering the same with grated white chocolate and sliced strawberries.
• The flexible nature of brown rice makes it easy to find its way into an awesome dal khichdi, the tava pulao, the steaming hot jeera rice, the dumdaar biryani and pulaos, etc.
• Do not limit yourself to just these – use organic Brown rice to make steamed idlis, uttappams, cutlets, kofta, cheela, curd rice – my version of a brown rice dhokla turned out yummy as well!

Here are a couple of my simple recipes with Brown rice for all our readers to check out and try.

Healthy Nutty Brown Rice Pilaf

(A delicate nutty organic brown rice preparation with goodness of garden veggies, chickpeas and mild spices, cooked to perfection)

Ingredients

Organic brown rice – 1 cup

Olive oil – 1 tbsp.

Sliced Garlic cloves – 2 to 3 nos.

Onions – 1 small, sliced

Bayleaf – 1 no

Cinnamon stick – 1 pc

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Carrots – 1/2 cup cubes

Green peas – 1/4 cup

French beans cut – 5 to 6 nos.

Boiled chickpeas – 1/2 cup

Water/stock as needed

Salt to taste

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp

Fresh parsley/coriander leaves – 2 tbsp.

Roasted crushed peanuts – 2 tbsp.

Method

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the pilaf rice.
2. Heat oil saute the whole spices, add in the garlic, onion and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Add in the brown rice, veggies, chickpeas and saute them for 2 -3 mins.
4. Add salt, seasonings, mix well add in the stock/water and simmer until cooked.
5. Serve hot garnished with roasted, crushed peanuts, parsley or coriander leaves.
6. Serve with raita of your choice and some roasted papad, pickle.

Chef’s variations

• Try the same preparation adding boiled eggs to it at the end with some sliced chicken sausages with the veggies.
• For those who love chicken, meat, prawns and seafood can also do that for a change and add a little saffron or red chili powder to it for more flavor and better color.
• Using leftover non-veg gravies can be a good idea by incorporating it in a recipe like this.

 

Brown Rice Herbed Mushroom Risotto

(A flavourful rice preparation with aromatic herbs, fresh mushrooms and power pack brown rice cooked just right!)

Ingredients

Brown rice – 1 cup

Olive oil – 1 tbsp.

Garlic- 3 to 4 cloves sliced

Onion – 1 small chopped

Fresh button mushrooms – 150 gms, cut into halves or use dried as well.

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh rosemary or thyme – 1 tbsp. or assorted mixed herbs to taste

Stock/water as needed.

White wine – 2 tbsp, optional

Fresh cream – 2 to 3 tbsp.

Grated cheese – ¼ cup, ideally Parmesan.

Fresh herbs and olives for garnish as needed.

Method

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the risotto.
2. Heat olive oil in a thick bottomed pan add in the onions and garlic and saute for 15 seconds.
3. Add in the brown rice, saute well, add mushrooms, wine, herbs, seasonings and mix well
4. Add in the water/stock and simmer until just cooked.
5. Add in the cream and cheese and mix well.
6. Serve hot garnished with herbs/olives/cheese shavings etc.

Chef’s variations

• Try adding mixed veggies of your choice in place of mushrooms, try zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, pumpkin, peas, etc.
• Soy beans with mushrooms are a good choice as well for a risotto.
• Try adding sliced roast lamb, roast turkey slices, bacon or even roast chicken or sliced seekh kababs into the same recipe for a wonderful change and variation.