Community, Food

Nutty Rice

Forestwood

I was recently asked for a way to get folks and children to eat brown rice. “Disguise it with yummy additions,” I said. Or use the recipe below:

So far it hasn’t met with rejection.

[Just don’t tell anyone this is actually Brown Rice for then staunch haters of brown rice will gobble this up!!]

Brown rice is a great source of magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, thiamine, manganese and B group vitamins as well as fibre s it is quite disappointing to see folks/children reject it based on its taste. This recipe complements its nutty flavour.

Nutty Brown Rice

saute onion and celery
saute onion and celery

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 stick celery, finely chopped
  • 50 g pine nuts
  • 1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Season to taste
  1. Heat oil in heavy saucepan and saute onion and celery fro about 3 minutes till onion becomes transparent.
  2. Add pine nuts and cook over low heat for 2 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
  3. Add the rice, stirring well until the grains are well coated with oil.
  4. Add the Stock, Thyme and Bay leaf and bring to the boil .
  5. Cover saucepan and simmer until rice is tender and all the vegetable stock is absorbed. This will take about 45 minutes.
  6. Season if desired.

Variations: –

  • Add 1.4 tsp cumin or Turmeric towards end of cooking.
  • Leave to cool, then add beansprouts and serve as a cold rice salad.
stpa logo

Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

43 thoughts on “Nutty Rice”

  2. From Wiki. “The Difference Between Brown and White Rice. … 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.”

    White rice has little nutritional value, one reason of the high level of malnutrition in some Asian countries. To my mouth brown rice tastes more fulsome, even so in Asian cooking I use white rice too, but…with lots of vegetables..

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I think it is like white bread. Some people associate the taste of white bread as the one and only taste for bread. There are quite a few folks who refuse to eat brown bread. My MOTH is unfortunately one of them. He does eat my Nutty rice though!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Ah, yeah, I can see that. For the longest time, I only ever ate my the 3-minute rice my mom would make but then my dad expanded my rice experiences. Eventually, I was able to step away from drowning it in butter and salt lol

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Some people just do not. It’s not a failing of that person. It’s just a taste preference.

      I, for example, dislike peanut butter and chocolate together. It’s disgusting.

      My children were only introduced to white rice after my wife, and I failed to get them to eat brown rice — the only rice we had in the house for a long time. They just did not like it.

      I think I should mention, my wife is from India. Eating rice is like breathing.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Absolutely agree, Khurt. For some, it is a sensory NO Go. I hate Vegemite. Can’t go near the stuff. Can’t stand the jar being open in the kitchen if I am nearby. And worst of all, I am Australian!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. You never know Khurt. But I could lay a hefty bet you won’t. Most people who like it have grown up with the taste and don’t question it.

        Like

      4. Oh, I totally understand. I live in Japan now and my students look at me like I’ve got two heads when I say I don’t like shishamo (fish with the eggs still inside), chawanmushi (seafood swimming in a steamed egg bath) or natto (rotten beans).

        Like

      5. Rotten beans? Ewww! I guess many countries have strange cuisine – like Iceland’s rotten shark or Sweden surstrømming – fermented fish that is really smelly.

        Like

      6. Oh, yes. Natto is very disgusting to many people not used to it. I’ve only eaten it twice in my life and both times, I struggled to keep it down. It’s definitely one of those foods I won’t touch with a 10-foot pole.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. I have a friend who makes a brown rice salad similar to this. I’ve been going to ask her for the recipe for ages, but now I probably don’t need to. Thanks Amanda.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well hers might be a little different. You could try both and compare. Then post about both. Then I can try your friend’s recipe! That would be fun.

      Like

  9. We eat lots of rice! Brown, white, red, forbidden, Jade rice (bamboo infused), wild and even pink. Sometimes I mix half white and half brown basmati and cook it in the rice cooker. That might be a way to convert a non-brown-rice liker. Just start to mix in a little of the brown stuff and slowly increase the amount over time. Worked with my kids when they were young.
    The salad sounds yummy! I used to make something similar with fresh pineapple added. I should find the recipe! 😋

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Did you say Pineapple? I really like food with pineapples. Australians have a reputation for insisting their is pineapple on pizzas. It is never as nice without it. Fresh pineapple on pizza with other veges/meats…. hmmm Yum.
      I am not familiar with red or even pink rice. What is that like? We certainly don’t have it in our local supermarket!
      Mixing the brown and white rice is something I mentioned to another blogger in the comments. My WI-fi (NB. we are in the dark age of copper wiring here in Australia- but that is a whole other story), is hit and miss so I must check the comment loaded up okay. As white and brown rice need different cooking times, I am wondering how the rice cooker manages that? Do you have to add the white rice later? You can see I also don’t have a rice cooker but my son is considering buying one).

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I did say pineapple! 😋 I have a “fuzzy logic” rice cooker and love it. There are various settings: white rice, brown rice, sushi rice and mixed rice. I just add the rinsed rice and then the right amount of water and it turns out perfectly every time. The red rice I buy (available in bulk or packaged) comes from Bhutan. It’s nutty, and chewy like brown and blends well with white basmati. The pink rice comes from Madagascar and looks beautiful. It cooks like white rice, but is similar to the red rice. My rice cooker is from Japan and I love it! As to pineapple, I don’t usually eat it on pizza, but love it in all kinds of cuisines, like a Thai curry. Now I’m getting hungry! 😋😉

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Hehe! Sorry to get your mouth watering. Interesting about the rice. Does the pink rice look pink? I must tell my son about the fuzzy logic cooker. Sounds easy. Re the pineapple:
        Maybe you might try pineapple pieces on a vegetarian pizza or a Ham and cheese if you eat ham? I recommend getting a fresh pineapple as it has a beautiful flavour. Delicious with capsicum (peppers), red onion and feta/cheese. Now it is me with the mouth watering. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I don’t eat ham or other meat, but I do like the idea of it along with red bell peppers, red onion and feta. Maybe I’ll whip one of those up on Friday night! The pink rice does look pink! I’d definitely get a fuzzy logic cooker. Mine also has a warming setting which it transitions to after the rice is cooked. I just leave it like that and we have a little rice ready to eat anytime. I’ll try to do a rice post sometime in the not to distant future. Perhaps of that rice salad. It was quite tasty!

        Liked by 1 person

  11. My kids are keen observers.

    The [Just don’t tell anyone this is actually Brown Rice for then staunch haters of brown rice will gobble this up!!] didn’t work. They noticed the difference in colour and flavour.

    It’s not that they hated it. They’ll eat brown rice. They just prefer white rice.

    Trust was lost.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Shame about that, Khurt. Can you try mixing in a very small amount of brown rice to white rice ( with soya to disguise the colour difference), to begin with? Then ever slowly increasing the ratios? The mistake I made with my kids is never offering the refused food again. Apparently, studies have shown if you keep offering it they eventually might accept it. This applies to only younger kids, mind you. Yours may be past the point of possible deception. That means you will have to await until the Vegan phase hits – and it does – sometime in adolescence!

      Like

Comments are closed.