How to Cook Brown Rice: Common Brown Rice Recipes

Brown rice is becoming more and more popular each day as a vast number of people are turning health conscious. But many don’t know how to cook brown rice. The reason that is the case is that brown rice is much different from white rice. A healthier alternative to the popular white rice, as claimed by various nutritionists and health experts, brown rice can be hard to cook – leave alone to digest! But if you’re a fitness freak who does not wish to compromise on the tough decision you’ve just made to eat brown rice now onward, know that it can be done. Yes, it may be difficult, but it’s not impossible. You just need some really good albeit common brown rice recipes.

What is brown rice?

Before we tell you how to cook brown rice or about the most amazing albeit common brown rice recipes, let’s first discuss what this kind of rice actually is. You can then make an informed decision of whether you’d like to try this one out or give it a miss.

During the processing of brown rice, only the outer layer – or the hull – is removed and the rice is taken from that point onward to be edible. When it comes to white rice, there are several other layers, besides the hull, that are removed. For instance, certain parts of the germ, as well as the bran, are removed during the processing of white rice. What this does is increase the taste value of the rice. However, it then scores less on nutrients as most of it is stripped off.

Thereby, various health experts claim that brown rice is a healthier choice as it offers higher nutritional value through its outer layers. Apparently, it is loaded with vitamins and other minerals such as copper, phosphorus, and magnesium among others.

Does brown rice help in weight loss?

Many people advocate brown rice as an essential part of any weight loss program. Why do they do that? How does brown rice help someone to lose weight? Well, experts state that since brown rice has a rich fiber content, eating even small portions of it will make you feel quite full. When that happens, dieters will naturally eat less than usual. Thereby, this can be an incredible aid to weight loss as claimed by many people.

Does it really work? Well, we guess you’ll have to ask the people who’ve tried it! On a serious note, there are several people who claim brown rice has helped them achieve their target weight a lot faster than if they hadn’t tried it. But along with the brown rice, they also changed their entire diet. For instance, they incorporated more fresh fruits, green vegetables, proteins, and others. They also gave up eating a lot of sugar and fatty food. Needless to say, all of these may have played a key role in helping these dieters lose weight in addition to the brown rice.

So, if you really wish to give it a go, learn how to cook brown rice the proper way and then take a shot at it. Also, it is advisable to speak with a dietician before you plan to take on brown rice for weight loss purposes.

How To Cook Brown Rice The Right Way

Before you learn how to cook brown rice, know that there are several varieties of it available in the market. For instance, there is the short-grain variety that’s best suited for salads and risottos. Then, you also have the long-grained ones, what we call the basmati in India, which is best suited for elegant dishes like biryani or pulao. If you are unsure about what to make with it, we suggest you get a tiny bit of every variety and figure it out later. You can check the common brown rice recipes and see which variety fits into which recipe.

Here are a couple of fool-proof methods you can use to cook brown rice the proper way:

• Draining Method: Pour water in a pan and bring it to boil. Add the brown rice and cook it until it’s done. You’ll be able to tell if the rice is cooked by smashing a couple of grains between your fingertips. Drain the rice and throw away the excess water. Mind you, this method can take a bit of time but it’s worth it if you wish to make fancy dishes that require you to have separate rice grains.
• Pressure Cook it: If you’re wondering how to cook brown rice the fastest way, this is it. Use 2:1 ratio of water and rice and pressure cook the brown rice. Don’t force the steam out of the pressure cooker. Let it take it’s own time. Open it only once all the steam has left.
• Go the saucepan way: Take an open saucepan. Pour water into it and bring it to a boil. Add one cup of rice and slow cook it until done. This is a good way to cook brown rice if you wish to have it with curries.

The drain method will give you brown rice that’s perfectly cooked as well as separated. This will be super useful if you’re making dishes that are meant to hero the brown rice. Pressure cooking the brown rice is a good method to go to if you wish to simply have it accompany a curry of some sort. The saucepan way will give you rice you can make anything out of. So, use whichever of these methods is most suitable for you depending on the dish you are planning to make.

Now that you know how to cook brown rice, let’s take a quick peek at some of the best, easiest, and surprisingly common brown rice recipes.

3 Best Common Brown Rice Recipes

Learning how to cook brown rice need not be a stressful task. It can, instead, be an enjoyable experience if you really put your heart into it. There are scores of amazing recipes to cook brown rice out there that it will boggle your mind! Be assured that there are plenty of options and a whole lot of instructions when it comes to cooking brown rice. Check out the list below of the 3 best and surprisingly common brown rice recipes. Pick whichever of these you find comfortable trying first and jump in!

1. Brown Rice Recipe 1: Chicken Schezwan Rice

Who doesn’t love Chinese! Anything with a “Schezwan” at the end of it sounds incredibly delicious, doesn’t it? This is among the most delicious ways to cook brown rice. Check out the ingredients required for the dish and how the method to make it.

Ingredients:

• 250 Grams of long-grained brown rice
• 1 cup of shredded Chicken
• ¼ Cup finely chopped French beans
• 3 Chopped Spring Onions
• 1 Chopped Carrot
• ½ Cup of cooked Shrimps or Prawns
• 1 Finely chopped medium size Capsicum
• 1 Tbsp chopped Celery
• 2 Tbsp Soya sauce
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp Vinegar
• ½ Tbsp Chili sauce
• 1 Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Chopped onion
• ½ Tbsp Chinese salt (this is optional)
• 3 to 5 drops of oil
• ¼ Tsp salt

Method to prepare

1. Take a cooking vessel and put a tsp of cooking oil in it. Throw in the onion and fry until they are golden brown.
2. Add in the celery, carrot, capsicum, beans, and spring onions. Cook them until they turn a bit brown and then transfer them to another vessel.
3. Fry the prawns/shrimps and chicken.
4. Add in a tsp of oil and add the chopped garlic. Once it turns brown, set them aside in another vessel.
5. Pour in the brown rice into the oil which is now flavored with garlic. Fry it for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the meat and vegetables while cooking the brown rice in the chicken stock. Add the sauces to the rice once it’s cooked.
7. Turn up the heat and fry the rice for about 5 minutes. Serve hot. This is how to cook brown rice in the Schezwan way!

2. Brown Rice Recipe 2: Mushroom Brown Rice

For those who wish to learn how to cook brown rice with mushrooms, this is the simplest and most common brown rice recipe. Check out the ingredients needed for the dish and the method to prepare it.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup long-grained brown rice
• 1 Chopped onion
• 9 to 10 Mushrooms, washed clean and finely sliced
• 1 Green Capsicum
• ½ Cup Butter. You can reduce this amount or you can also substitute it with about 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil if you want a healthier alternative.
• 1 Tsp Black Pepper
• 2 Cups water
• Salt to taste

Method to prepare

1. Make sure the brown rice is washed well in water before you begin the cooking process.
2. Get to chopping capsicum, onion, and mushrooms. The size can be whatever you are comfortable with.
3. Pour Olive Oil/butter in a cooking pan. Add the chopped onions and saute till they turn pink.
4. Throw in the mushrooms and stir fry them. Do they until you see them turn soft and wilt.
5. To the mix, add the chopped capsicum and saute for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the brown rice to the pan and saute for 5 to 7 minutes.
7. To the rice, add black pepper, salt, and 2 cups of water. Cook for approximately 15 minutes or until the rice is done. Serve hot.

3. Brown Rice Recipe 3: Mutton Khichda

This is among the most amazing recipes when it comes to learning how to cook brown rice the right way. A traditional Muslim dish, Mutton Khichda is a mouthwatering dish that’s made with lentils, rice, masalas, and other ingredients. Check out what you will need to make this dish and the method to make it.

Ingredients:

• 1 Kilogram mutton
• 500 Grams of cracked and cooked wheat
• 1 Cup brown rice
• 1 Cup Chana dal
• 1 Cup masoor dal
• 1 Cup arhar/tur dal
• 1 Cup moong dal
• 1 Cup oil
• 5 Peppercorns and 5 Cloves each
• 1 Cup chopped onion
• 1 Tsp Cinnamon
• 1 Tsp Cumin
• 2 Tbsp Coriander powder
• 4 Tsp Chili powder
• 1 Tsp Garam Masala
• 2 Tbsp Green chili-coriander leaves-ginger paste
• Salt to taste
• Fried onions, green chilies, ginger, and mint leaves for garnish

Method to prepare

1. Mix all the dals and the brown rice together. Add 3 cups of water to the mixture and cook it. Add salt to taste and watch the mix become tender.
2. Take a pan and heat oil in it. Add cinnamon, cloves, cumin, and peppercorns. Saute these until they change color a bit.
3. Now, add the mutton, onions, coriander powder, chili powder, garam masala, green paste, and salt to taste.
4. Make sure to stir and fry the mutton until it’s opaque. Then, transfer the mutton to a pressure cooker and cook it until the meat is tenderized.
5. Mix the mutton, dal mixture, and wheat together and simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Garnish the dish and serve hot.

Use any of these common brown rice recipes to make your very first dish of brown rice. Any of these are amazing brown rice recipes to try and will ensure you have a lip-smacking dish at the end of the cook. That first step in learning how to cook brown rice and going for it will help you decide whether or not you’re going to continue eating it. If you are foodie and love to eat healthy foods then you must know about the nutrition facts about the avocado.

In fact, these are just a handful of the most common brown rice recipes around. There are other recipes you can consider trying out as well. For instance, you could try making Brown Rice Onion Pilaf, Risotto-e-Tonno, Brown Rice Salad, Meen Alleppey Curry with Brown Rice, and Green Coriander Rice among other things. Take as much time as you need before deciding on the brown rice recipe you most wish to try out.