How do I make brown rice taste good??

EstyPorter
EstyPorter Posts: 39 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I try to eat low sodium brown rice for dinner, but its soo bland and sometimes i just cant eat it. I like it with soy sauce, but I cant be eating that, its nothing but soduim .
I add pepper to it, but that doesnt help much.

Does anyone know anything to add to brown rice to make me excited to eat it ??? : )
Thanks
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Replies

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    If you've switch from white rice, switch back. No point eating something you don't like. Basmati and jasmine are two staples for me and they take on flavor easily.
  • laele75
    laele75 Posts: 283 Member
    If you've switch from white rice, switch back. No point eating something you don't like. Basmati and jasmine are two staples for me and they take on flavor easily.

    This.

    Also, I make my brown rice with low sodium chicken broth. It tastes really good to me, but I like the taste of brown rice.
  • exohrina
    exohrina Posts: 9
    Other alternatives to brown rice are quinoa and couscous which are both really good. You can try either of them as a cold salad from the Safeway deli if you live in North America. Most grocery stores sell them in boxes, as well too. But as with anything healthy or alternative, it's more expensive than white rice.
  • jfsears
    jfsears Posts: 47 Member
    I add spices like curry or cumin when cooking it and sometimes salsa, makes a big difference :)
  • Siege_Tank
    Siege_Tank Posts: 781 Member
    By eating white rice. There's really no reason not to. It's rice, taking the bran coat off just makes it less chewy while removing an insignificant amount of fiber, and an insignificant amount of nutrients.

    Have a fiber one bar if you need more, or something, eat more fresh vegetables. Those have more fiber in them than buckets full of brown rice could ever hope to have. BTW, white rice has fiber too...

    There's a reason why we took the bran coat off when we invented milling... The arguments that white pastas, white breads, white rice have their carbohydrates absorbed faster is statistically insignificant, we're talking whole grains being *ahem* "healthier" only in that they have more vitamins and minerals than their white counterparts (which isn't to say they have 0 nutrients, they do...)

    and "healthier" only in that the carbohydrates are absorbed SLIGHTLY slower, which leads to a slightly less pronounced insulin response because of a slightly smaller spike in blood sugar, which researchers conclude is healthier.

    I dunno where to get the drugs needed to make myself high enough to believe that an insulin spike that is 1-3% lower is more healthy for people.

    And there are much better and more tasty ways of assimilating the vitamins and minerals you need through the day, without having to resort to eating cardboard.

    ETA: sorry, I'm just tired of BS headlines like raspberry ketones and whole grains being "healthier", when the data that they use to make those claims only has half truths and supposition. People who eat brown rice live longer.. but not because of the brown rice. It's more likely that their entire diet is more eastern, more fresh ingredients, less fat.
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  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    I cook it in beef broth, veggie broth or chicken broth. I will add veggies as it is cooking so the flavors enhance the rice. Make sure to add a bit more water, but not much.

    I like small pieces of carrots, onions, red peppers, sometimes celery, if you like spicy the jalepenos, squash (put yellow or zuch in at the last moment) corn and peas are yummy.

    I like slivered almonds.

    I also like fresh grated parmesan cheese on top

    Ok now your making me hungry:angry:


    :laugh:
  • ArchangelMJ
    ArchangelMJ Posts: 308 Member
    I have this same problem (though I tend to use as much salt as I want on stuff). I switched from white to brown rice, and while I like brown rice as an accompaniment to very flavorful dishes, it's kind of blah on it's own. I can eat white rice on it's own and I love Asian food, but somehow brown rice doesn't translate as well. Maybe I should just switch back if it's really not much of a difference.
  • thecakelocker
    thecakelocker Posts: 407 Member
    I moosh up avocados and key lime juice in mine, but then again I love it plain so YMMV.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    Add 50% wild rice, sauteed mushrooms, carmelized onions, diced cooked chicken, almonds, sliced rare beef steak, diced roasted red peppers, diced baked sweet potato, god, woman, there's no end of ways.
  • MarisaDLS2
    MarisaDLS2 Posts: 108 Member
    I am assuming you are eating the brown rice as a side dish in addition to a main protein course.

    Try making it with low fat chicken broth and a tablespoon of CostCo's no-salt seasoning, instead of plain water.

    If you are ambitious and have time, adding aromatics such as onions, garlic, mushrooms, celery, carrots, parsley, thyme along with the chicken broth/seasoning will add additional flavor layers.

    In adding onions, its important to caramelize them first by gently browning, (I use olive oil), this is called the Maillard reaction which boosts the taste by gentling the harsh sulfides of the raw onions and making them sweet.

    Usually I'm in a hurry and just add the broth and no-salt seasoning.
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
    If you've switch from white rice, switch back. No point eating something you don't like. Basmati and jasmine are two staples for me and they take on flavor easily.


    So comforting to read this ^. I too just don't like brown rice and would rather not eat it. I needed to hear having my jasmine rice is okay :)
  • L7haute
    L7haute Posts: 2
    Zatarans salt free chicken seasoning
  • kiddoc88
    kiddoc88 Posts: 244 Member
    curry!
  • Isakizza
    Isakizza Posts: 754 Member
    I love to sautee fresh onions, garlic, green/yellow/red bell peppers in EVOO first just till tender (sometimes adding mushrooms). Then add in dry salt free herbs and spices, couple pinches of sea salt.
    Add water, bring to boil.
    Add rice.

    YUMMMMM!!!!

    21525558.png
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  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Butter? I don't eat any kind of rice often, but when I do I have to have butter on it. But then I am on a lower carb diet. Low sodium organic chicken broth is another good idea if you don't want the fat. I have had it cooked in the low sodium chicken broth and then drizzled with a bit of coconut oil and then with added sauteed onion and green pepper and that's pretty good too.
  • love2garden4us
    love2garden4us Posts: 1
    I put brown rice (2 cups) in my rice cooker, then I add about 1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic, about 1/4 teaspoon dried minced onion, about 2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup salsa, and then I put enough water to be at the 3 cup mark. (In reality I am adding about 1 cup more water than the rice cooker calls for). I put it on the brown rice setting. Honestly, it takes like Spanish rice--lots of flavor. And when I cook it in the rice cooker, it takes almost like white rice to me (very fluffy)--except that it is extremely filling. (You could also add just a splash of olive oil, if you want--before you cook it all together.)
  • LosingitinWY
    LosingitinWY Posts: 29 Member
    Salsa :)
    I try to eat low sodium brown rice for dinner, but its soo bland and sometimes i just cant eat it. I like it with soy sauce, but I cant be eating that, its nothing but soduim .
    I add pepper to it, but that doesnt help much.

    Does anyone know anything to add to brown rice to make me excited to eat it ??? : )
    Thanks
  • summery79
    summery79 Posts: 116 Member
    My son is picky, and he'll eat brown rice with nutritional yeast sprinkled on it, or cheese. White rice and quinoa are preferred.
  • metacognition
    metacognition Posts: 626 Member
    Soak it in chicken broth, mixed veg, and seasoning to cook. But if it doesn't appeal to you, it may just be easier to switch to other whole grain foods. Ever tried quinoa or Kashi 7 grain (like rice) pilaf? Yum...
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    If you've switch from white rice, switch back. No point eating something you don't like. Basmati and jasmine are two staples for me and they take on flavor easily.


    So comforting to read this ^. I too just don't like brown rice and would rather not eat it. I needed to hear having my jasmine rice is okay :)

    There is evidence that white rice is just as nourishing (if not more so) than brown rice. Has to do with the phytic acid in the brown rice blocking the uptake of minerals in the gut. All those orientals developed polished white rice for a reason, it seems. Now, when rice is all that you are eating (such as they did in famines) you could get a nasty case of beri-beri (from a deficiency of B vitamins). But anyone with a normally varied diet is going to get their B vitamins from lots of other foods--so no worry. :smile:
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    From Alan Aragon
    White rice actually has an equal or better nutritional yield & also has a better nitrogen-retentive effect than brown rice. This is because the fiber & phytate content of brown rice act as antinutrients, reducing the bioavailability of the micronutrients it contains. Since no one is reading the fricking link, I'll just lay things out here:

    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
  • Stormi06
    Stormi06 Posts: 1
    Try browning some onions and garlic and grating in some fresh ginger! MMMMmm! Tastes like what you get at one of those Japanese Steak houses!!!
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    Don't eat stuff you don't like.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    From Alan Aragon
    White rice actually has an equal or better nutritional yield & also has a better nitrogen-retentive effect than brown rice. This is because the fiber & phytate content of brown rice act as antinutrients, reducing the bioavailability of the micronutrients it contains. Since no one is reading the fricking link, I'll just lay things out here:

    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

    Yup--I read that you really need to be careful giving kids a lot of vegetable fiber because of the "anti-nutrient" factor. Ironically, we thought we were doing a good thing in going to "brown" this and that but it turns out that may be a major reason why many of us (about 85%) are magnesium deficient. :frown:
  • Rgtjax85
    Rgtjax85 Posts: 99 Member
    I felt the same way about the taste at first. Mostly the texture is what throws me off. Honestly I just kept eating it and eating and now I am just so use to it that I like it more. Constant exposure to most foods can make you really like it more.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Don't eat stuff you don't like.

    There's something to be said for letting our appetites be our guide (except for the distortions in appetite that are produced by sugar and salt consumption). There is probably a bio-chemical reason why some foods appeal to us more at one time or another and why we lose our taste for a food that is too frequently on the menu--even if it is one of our favorites.
  • Red7Basil
    Red7Basil Posts: 36
    I used to HATE brown rice. I'd complain and gripe every time I had it. Because brown rice is healthier, I got rid of all the white rice in my house and bought only brown rices (basmati and short grain brown rice). By doing that, I forced myself to eat the healthier brown rices. I learned to like and appreciate them to the point that white rice now tastes bland.

    When I make homemade Chinese food I cook the brown rice in a rice cooker and eat it with my meal, plain. When I make brown basmati, I eat it with homemade Indian food and I add finely diced onion, raisins, toasted whole cumin and finely diced carrot to the rice cooker.
  • RunForChai
    RunForChai Posts: 238 Member
    Rice really isn't good for weight loss....if you can skip it, do.
  • JulieAlaska
    JulieAlaska Posts: 1
    I eat mine with cubed chicken breast and salsa and I love it! I also like it plain with pepper. But I do agree with others who said that if you don't like it go back to white rice instead.

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