Back home in Kashmir, most references to eating food literally mean to eat rice. I grew up eating rice as the main staple, served with a wide range of healthy seasonal vegetables and some meat. It was however the local variety of white rice that we ate, supplemented once in a while by some red rice too.
As I grew older, I realized that eating white rice made me go into a stupor. So I avoided eating it for lunch. But I still needed it for dinner. It was really hard for me to completely give up eating rice. I was and still am dependent on rice for my survival. Some things are kind of built in your DNA. Rice for Kashmiri people must be one such thing.
When I discovered wild rice and brown rice, I was ecstatic. I could not only eat rice once again, it was actually better for me. To be honest I still do have one of those clandestine meetings with my former love – white rice, but just once a while. Just as a treat for myself since I am a good girl most of the days.
Why is brown rice better ?
It is an established fact that women who eat whole grains, weigh less.
Eating a serving of whole grains, such as brown rice, at least 6 times each week is an especially good idea for postmenopausal women with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other signs of cardiovascular diseases.
Magnesium, another nutrient for which brown rice is a good source, has been shown in studies to be helpful for reducing the severity of asthma, lowering high blood pressure, reducing the frequency of migraine headaches, and reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Source – WHFOODS
If you had not already guessed, it is the Power food blog group Friday and our today’s power food is the brown rice.
38 Power Foods blog group focuses on one ingredient each week taking inspiration from the book ; Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients from the editors of the whole living magazine. Each week we all come up with recipes, stories, articles to encourage eating nourishing food.
Jeanette at jeanetteshealthyliving ; Martha at Simply Nourished Living ; Mireya at Myhealthyeatinghabits ; Alyce at More time at the table ; Casey at My Sweet and Savory; Minnie at TheLady8Home
If you own a rice cooker, chances are you already are cooking a fluffy pot of brown rice. Some of the readers have however sent me comments and asked me how to cook brown rice to the perfect nutty & fluffy taste and texture.
How To Cook Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 1 C brown rice any grain
- 3 C water
- More water for washing and rinsing the rice
Instructions
- Wash and rinse the rice as you would normally do for any rice.
- Now soak the rice in the 3 cups of water for at least an hour
- After an hour, drain the water into another pan and bring it to a boil
- Add the rice back into the boiling water and wait for it to start simmering.
- Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 - 30 minutes
- Once the timer runs out, check the rice to see if all the water has evaporated
- Cover again, switch off heat and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before fluffing it with a fork.