How to Cook Brown Rice Perfectly Every Time [In Oven]

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"It is always during a passing state of mind that we make lasting resolutions"

~ Marcel Proust

Who said 'resolutions' can be made only at the beginning of the year??. (or more precisely on January 1st). I made one last Sunday. - to consume white rice just once a week or less. It is my humble start for a healthy living. That means my plain-old-white-rice will be replaced by all kinds of whole grains.

First in such series of posts is - to cook a perfectly cooked, fluffy, tasty 'Brown Rice'. Look no further, below is one such recipe which is absolutely 100% fool-proof and the variations that can be made out of it are countless.

Here are some ideas, just to get you started:

- Instead of olive oil, add butter like the original recipe suggested & replace brown rice with a medley of brown rice and wild rice.
- Use Vegetable broth instead of water for more dense flavor.
- Add any kind of veggies , fresh garlic, tomato paste, flavored oils and/or herbs such as dill, parsley etc to give the dish a whole new twist.


...the flavor possibilities are practically endless!!!.

Baked Brown Rice

It is a known fact that brown rice is much healthier than plain-white-rice. To create white rice, both the germ and the inner husk (bran) of the grain are removed, it is then polished, usually using glucose or talc. Therefore the loss of good nutrients and fiber is substantial. So, that has to make us wonder - "Whats the point of eating such a thing?". Isn't it? Majority of us refrain from using brown rice because - We just don't know how to cook a bowl of brown rice perfectly. Now, you donot have that excuse anymore. This simple recipe takes only 5 minutes to prep and baked in the oven for 1 hour (unattended) should get you started onto making one.. It definitely did for me. :-)

 

perfectly baked brown rice topped with cilantro, just out of the oven

Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe

Preparation -

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Place 1.5 cups of brown rice (I used basmati variety, but short or medium grain can be used) in a baking dish.

3. In a covered sauce pan, bring 3 cups of water, 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of salt to a rolling boil. Pour it over the rice, add some chopped cilantro leaves and stir to combine. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake it (in the middle rack) for exactly 1 hour.

 4. After 1 hour, remove foil, fluff the rice with a fork and it is ready to Serve with almost anything.

brown rice served with a bowl of mango dal

..now no more half cooked or burnt or crunchy brown rice for dinner. Follow this simple recipe for a bowl of perfectly cooked brown rice. Replace this with wherever/whenever you crave for white rice, like I do for that extra ounce of fiber that you need to get going all-day!.

[Update] - sending this the event I am guest hosting "WWC: Brown Rice" originally conceptualized by Sanjeeta .

until next time,
Siri