Brown rice
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| Brown rice, medium grain, cooked Nutritional value per 100 g |
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| Energy 110 kcal 470 kJ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database |
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Brown rice (or otherwise called "hulled rice") is unmilled or partly milled rice, a kind of whole grain. It has a mild nutty flavor, is chewier than white rice, becomes rancid more quickly, but is far more nutritious. Any rice, including sticky rice, long-grain rice, or short-grain rice, may be eaten as brown rice.
In much of Asia, brown rice (Chinese: 糙米; pinyin: cāomǐ; Japanese: 玄米; genmai; Korean: 현미) is associated with poverty and wartime shortages, and in the past was rarely eaten except by the sick, the elderly and as a cure for constipation. This traditionally looked-down-upon kind of rice is now more expensive than common white rice, partly due to its low consumption, difficulty of storage and transport, and higher nutritional value.
[edit] Brown rice and white rice
Brown rice and white rice have similar amounts of calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein. The difference between the two lies in processing and nutritional content. If the outermost layer of a grain of rice (the husk) is removed, the result is brown rice. If the husk and the bran layer underneath are removed, the result is white rice. Several vitamins and dietary minerals are lost in this removal and the subsequent polishing process. A part of these missing nutrients, such as B1, B3, and iron are sometimes added back into the white rice making it "enriched", as food suppliers in the US are required to do by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One mineral that is not added back into white rice is magnesium; one cup (195 grams) of cooked long grain brown rice contains 84 mg of magnesium while one cup of white rice contains 19 mg.
When the bran layer is removed to make white rice, the oil in the bran is also removed. A recent study has shown that rice bran oil may help lower LDL cholesterol.
Among other key sources of nutrition lost are fatty acids and fiber.
Brown and white rice also differ in their chemical makeup. Compare White rice and Brown rice.
[edit] Role in the Macrobiotic Diet regime
Unlike in the traditional Chinese cuisine, only brown rice is used in macrobiotic dishes because, according to this diet, foods that undergo less processing are healthier.
[edit] Cooking and preparation
To prepare brown rice, use 2 cups of water for each cup of brown rice, and salt to taste. Bring salted water to a boil, and stir in rice. Reduce heat to a minimal simmer, and cook tightly covered for 45 minutes or until all water has been absorbed into rice.
Use slightly more water for sticky rice. Use slightly less water for fluffy, separate rice in the American preferred style. Adding a couple tablespoons of yogurt helps to give brown rice the texture of white rice.
It is possible to substitute a salted broth for the salted water for a different flavor.
A nutritionally superior method of preparation known as GABA Rice or GBR, developed during the United Nations Year of Rice, may be used[1]. This involves soaking washed brown rice for 20 hours in warm water (38 °C or 100 °F) prior to cooking it. This process stimulates germination, which activates various enzymes in the rice. By this method, it is possible to obtain a more complete amino acid profile, including GABA.
For more comprehensive brown rice cooking/preparation instructions, refer to the following article: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/03/how-to-cook-brown-rice/
