How do I make brown rice more interesting?

Panthro12
Panthro12 Posts: 16 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Anyone have any suggestions? I just started having brown rice and fish/chicken and its really good as long as I have some meat with it, but once the meet is gone it is really hard for me to continue eating it because of the blandness of the rice.

Any tips or things I can do to spice up the brown rice to make it more desirable?
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Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Throw on some beans and grated cheese, add some salsa if you so desire.

    Make a stir fry.

    Just add some butter.

    Add green beans and almonds.

    Add a can of creamed soup.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Or eat something else. I know, not helpful. I don't like rice.
  • cardiophile
    cardiophile Posts: 38
    You can also add lemon, garlic salt, pepper and italian seasonings. I also like to cook the rice with a little chicken broth/base to give it a little more flavor.
  • michelle7673
    michelle7673 Posts: 370 Member
    Salsa, enchilada sauce, olive oil/garlic, a little barbecue sauce....
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    Is there a reason you want to eat brown rice instead of something you enjoy eating?
  • StaticEntropy
    StaticEntropy Posts: 224 Member
    Most foods become bland to me when the meat is finished. My solution is to eat more meat.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
    Cook the brown rice in vegetable broth - so simple, but makes a huge flavor difference!
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    Cook the brown rice in vegetable broth - so simple, but makes a huge flavor difference!

    or chicken broth ;-)
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    Give it a college education and a cold glass of Dos XX
  • fatbirdslimming
    fatbirdslimming Posts: 5
    buy some one cal fry light spray (it's by the olive oils sprays in the supermarkets in a plastic aerosol can). get the yellow capped one, not the green one cos that is bbq flavour fry light oil. spray a frying pan. fry in some onion, mushroom, peppers and you can even add some chopped pineapple if you like it.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    Don't leave the salt out when making the rice unless you must. We buy wild rice online and add it to the brown to give it a bit more oomph. Seasonings and vegetables are your friend. Go to a site like www.penzeys.com and look for spice mixes that strike your fancy. Add a spice mix will give it that flavor you miss from meat. Another trick is to cook the rice in broth. That way you get the meat flavor without all the calories. I also use More-than-gourmet demiglace paste to make us think we're having meat gravy on something. Just last night, I added some to the cabbage we had and it tasted very meaty. It's expensive but a container of it lasts forever.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
    Cook the brown rice in vegetable broth - so simple, but makes a huge flavor difference!

    or chicken broth ;-)

    Or Better Than Bouillon :)
  • fatbirdslimming
    fatbirdslimming Posts: 5
    why stick with brown rice? try this everybody.
    suitable for two persons (just halve if for one)

    9oz of arborio risotto rice
    vegetable stock
    chop and deseed three colour peppers
    chop one large onion
    chop 6 mushrooms
    1 tablespoon of lemon juice

    mix vegetable stock cube with 1 pint of boiled water and add to risotto rice
    bring to boil and put in pan the three chopped colour peppers and chopped onion
    simmer and cover for 8 minutes, stir regularly to stop it sticking to bottom of pan
    add chopped mushrooms and lemon juice and cover again simmering and cooking for further 15 minutes
    keep stirring to prevent sticking and serve

    add mushroom with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
  • MaintainCats
    MaintainCats Posts: 222 Member
    I like to add a little salt or a bit of fresh grated parm cheese to my rice. Yum.
  • wjewell
    wjewell Posts: 282 Member
    If you don't want to add butter due to the calories, there is a seasoning you can buy that tastes like butter.. I think it was 5 calories. I sometimes add that to my rice. Just don't use a lot, because it is pretty strong in flavor. I add very very little.
  • DiannaDeeley
    DiannaDeeley Posts: 10
    Mix some wild rice in when you're making it, and use chicken stock instead of water.

    Some garlic and ginger (teaspoon or less) will help.

    Butter.:smile: Butter makes anything more interest and bearable. Just use a very small amount and olive oil in abundance.

    I see a lot of other good suggestions, here.
  • joyundefined
    joyundefined Posts: 56
    I tend to make spanish rice a lot when I do eat brown rice. Throw in a can of no sodium tomato sauce, pepper, diced onions, diced green bell peppers, diced tomatoes, 1/2 a can-1 can of corn, minced garlic and wala! :) You can then add in your black beans as a topping. Because of the versatility of this, I actually throw in already-cooked shredded chicken into the pot as well.
  • imadyer
    imadyer Posts: 145 Member
    I like to add Sambal Oelek (red chili paste) to the water. It gives a nice kick :-)
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
    I just mix it up with all the other things on my plate (so chop your chicken, fish, steak, vegetables etc up). It also needs spices, herbs and/or sauce to make it more interesting. A few ideas:

    * Have it cold as the basis for a salad - make a dressing out of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, dried oregano, garlic
    * Make a biryani (Google for recipes, but basically stir your meat and veg through with some curry sauce or spices)
    * Make a simple tomato sauce to stir through (Google for Italian sauces)
    * Give it a chilli vibe - add some kidney beans and a few splashes of tabasco - as much as you can handle!
  • lightdiva1
    lightdiva1 Posts: 935 Member
    I added some chili seasoning to mine last night while it was cooking and it was so yummy! Brown rice cooked in chili seasoning, chicken, avocado, salsa and I was a happy girl.
  • Denjo060
    Denjo060 Posts: 1,008
    I put fiesta salsa on mine its really good :drinker:
  • deannajf4
    deannajf4 Posts: 223 Member
    SALSA!!! I tried it this week instead of the usual soya sauce and I LOVE IT!!! Just find a good one with low cals, low sodium. Not only is it minimal calories, I belive the hot peppers etc and tomatoes are huge advantages to your overall health!!

    The only other thing you might want to play with is the temperature of the salsa, I pulled mine from the fridge, and didn't really enjoy how cold it was against the warmth of the rice and meat.
  • Casilibre
    Casilibre Posts: 21
    I tend to make spanish rice a lot when I do eat brown rice. Throw in a can of no sodium tomato sauce, pepper, diced onions, diced green bell peppers, diced tomatoes, 1/2 a can-1 can of corn, minced garlic and wala! :) You can then add in your black beans as a topping. Because of the versatility of this, I actually throw in already-cooked shredded chicken into the pot as well.

    I second this! Spanish brown rice is soooo tasty, and the ingredients don't add too much calories. I like to fry my uncookded rice in a tbs of olive oil with white onion & 1 clove garlic, til really golden brown. Then I add my chicken broth & tomato sauce broth for the liquid. Delicious!
  • Panthro12
    Panthro12 Posts: 16 Member
    Is there a reason you want to eat brown rice instead of something you enjoy eating?

    Mainly because it is one of the foods on a meal plan I am following and I always hear how good it is for you.
  • Panthro12
    Panthro12 Posts: 16 Member
    thanks for all the advice I think i am going to try the salsa idea as well is cooking it in a chicken or vegetable broth! I like to keep things as simple as possible, especially since I really have no culinary talent :laugh:
  • Only1Mickee
    Only1Mickee Posts: 415 Member
    I put butter and soy sauce. Or uncle bens has a brown rice medley thats real good. Microwave in 90 secs.
  • CLFrancois
    CLFrancois Posts: 472 Member
    salsa or cajun spice
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    Is there a reason you want to eat brown rice instead of something you enjoy eating?

    Mainly because it is one of the foods on a meal plan I am following and I always hear how good it is for you.

    Comparison of the nutritional value between brown rice and white rice

    Callegaro Mda D, Tirapegui J. Arq Gastroenterol. 1996 Oct-Dec;33(4):225-31.

    Cereals are considered an important source of nutrients both in human and animal nourishment. In this paper nutritional value of brown rice is compared to that of white rice in relation to nutrients. Results show that despite higher nutrients contents of brown rice compared to white rice, experimental data does not provide evidence that the brown rice diet is better than the diet based on white rice. Possible antinutritional factors present in brown rice have adverse effects on bioavailability of this cereal nutrients.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9302338

    Effects of brown rice on apparent digestibility and balance of nutrients in young men on low protein diets

    J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1987 Jun;33(3):207-18. .Miyoshi H, Okuda T, Okuda K, Koishi H.

    The effect of brown rice with low protein intake was studied in five healthy young men. Feces were weighed, the digestibility of nutrients was determined, and blood tests were made. Each subject followed a diet consisting mainly of polished rice for 14 days and one consisting mainly of brown rice for 8 days. Both diets contained 0.5 g protein per kg of body weight. The brown rice diet had 3 times as much dietary fiber as the polished rice diet. On the brown rice diet, fecal weight increased, and apparent digestibility of energy, protein, and fat decreased, as did the absorption rates of Na, K, and P. The nitrogen balance was negative on both diets, but more negative on the brown rice diet. The phosphorus balance on the brown rice diet was significantly negative, but other minerals were not affected by the diet. The levels of cholesterol and minerals in the plasma were not significantly different on the polished rice diet and the brown rice diet. Comparing these results with data on standard protein intake (Miyoshi, H. et al (1986) J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol., 32, 581-589.), we concluded that brown rice reduced protein digestibility and nitrogen balance.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2822877
  • tootoop224
    tootoop224 Posts: 281 Member
    I like it with black beans and corn.
  • eylia
    eylia Posts: 200 Member
    Also, try preparing your meat and veg differently too. A slow cooked stew or stir fry served over the top of plain brown rice works really well; the sauce from your dish flavours and moistens the rice, and you might find it easier to ration your meat through the entire meal if it's mixed through with the veg and sauce in pieces. A bit of rice, with a bit of the topping on each mouthful, and usually I have a bit of everything left until the end.

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