Brown rice vs. White rice. Fried vs. Steamed

frmrdtr
frmrdtr Posts: 39 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, so we all know that brown rice is better for you than white rice, and steamed rice is better than fried rice. So which is better for you- steamed white or fried brown? :ohwell: I notice at the local chinese restaurants, that's the only option (Why can't they have steamed brown rice?).

But anyway, what is everyone's opinion on fried brown vs. steamed white?
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Replies

  • JanSmelly
    JanSmelly Posts: 143 Member
    Fried rice isn't generally made with brown rice.
  • beccadaniixox
    beccadaniixox Posts: 542 Member
    Fried rice isn't generally made with brown rice.

    This!
    It browns when it's fried (lots of soy sauce is normally used in it).

    Also, some Chinese restaurants now offer brown rice, but you may have to ask.
  • tbodega
    tbodega Posts: 186
    I don't believe that I've ever seen fried brown rice even at a chinese kitchen.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Ok, so we all know that brown rice is better for you than white rice, and steamed rice is better than fried rice. So which is better for you- steamed white or fried brown? :ohwell: I notice at the local chinese restaurants, that's the only option (Why can't they have steamed brown rice?).

    But anyway, what is everyone's opinion on fried brown vs. steamed white?
    Brown rice isn't actually better than white rice. A bit more fiber, but less nutrients due to the phytonutrients. I'll get fiber from veggies, and stick to white rice.
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
    While I agree with all the comments as far as having never seen fried brown rice on a chinese restaurant menu and the soy sauce being the primary culprit for turning any fried rice brown, the healthy option would be the steamed white rice if that is indeed the only other option.

    Obviously steamed brown rice would be the best, and since they have to steam cook the rice before frying it, it's worth asking and perhaps paying a slight extra charge (I've seen chinese and teriyaki places offer steamed brown rice for ~$1 more). Fried rice (either white or brown) is going to have a fair bit of oil and soy sauce added during the wok frying, to keep it from sticking to the wok and for flavor. Lots of extra calories and sodium there.
  • geezer99
    geezer99 Posts: 92
    Fried rice starts with cooked rice (steamed) so the issue with fried rice is what is added in the frying. If it is just vegetables and little oil is used, the calorie count is much like steamed rice. Lots of oil and a fatty meat like pork can up the count by quite a bit.

    We make a lot of fried rice using left-overs, only a bit of oil to brown some onions, garlic and ginger. If working from raw vegetables rather than left-overs pre-cook them in a microwave so frying is not needed. Actually, if you watch Chinese chefs, you will see they have a second wok full of boiling water (perhaps with a little broth.) The vegetables get cooked there first and then added to the fried rice or stir fry very near the end of cooking.
  • tehzephyrsong
    tehzephyrsong Posts: 435 Member
    I prefer white rice. Brown tastes like cardboard and has the texture of undercooked white rice. Brown rice, in fact, is just white rice with the skin on, basically, and it's just got a little more fiber in it, is all.

    Steamed is always better than fried, and this guideline applies to the rest of the buffet as well. Also, despite being brown in color, the fried rice you see at Chinese buffets /is/ white rice. It's just been stir-fried in oil and covered in soy sauce. Reach for the steamed white rice and pile your plate high with steamed veggies and grilled meats. Just be aware of things with sauces; those are likely to be crazy-high in sugar and/or salt, and therefore calories.
  • frmrdtr
    frmrdtr Posts: 39 Member
    Huh. Well, thanks for that information! I had no idea soy sauce was added....well, I will now be having steamed when I frequent a chinese restaurant. Thanks again! :smile:
  • iloso
    iloso Posts: 156
    Im also curious of this....considering I will be eating 3/4 of a cup of shrimp fried rice.
  • KarmaxKitty
    KarmaxKitty Posts: 901 Member
    I have NEVER seen brown rice fried... That CAN'T taste good... :sick:
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
    I'd get the fried brown b/c white rice and my IBS DO NOT get along but I do great with brown rice.
  • icculus19
    icculus19 Posts: 39
    actually black rice or "forbiden rice" is the best. you can find this rice at trader joes or whole foods
  • Smallsteps3000
    Smallsteps3000 Posts: 1
    Brown rice is full of essential and full carbs that we need in our system while white rice is halved and softer. While brown rice is harder and full of nutrients
    Fried rice is horrible lol
    Brown fried rice sounds ridiculous lol
  • Snail313
    Snail313 Posts: 214 Member
    Steamed is better than fried anything most of the time. I had beef and broccali today with white rice, it was sooo good too, lol.
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
    I eat brown rice and simmer it in water for about an hour.. I use it in fried rices too. Its not too bad. I rarely eat white rice.
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    Love some fried rice :) LOL
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    Well, you can't make fried rice w/o steaming it first...fried rice is a redundancy or at best a misnomer, like refried beans. Save some calories and put the stuff in the steamed rice. Personally, I have started doing a 50/50 mix...tastes much better! (Got the idea from a cooking show I was watching).
  • ReinasWrath
    ReinasWrath Posts: 1,173 Member
    How come brown rice is better than white? White tastes better :sad:
  • HisPathDaily
    HisPathDaily Posts: 672 Member
    Stick to the steamed white ... it's the soy sauce that is the killer ... I'm not the sodium police (just in case you were wondering and about to do a background check) but that stuff is crazy high ...

    OR ... skip the rice. I do :)
  • amyeglann
    amyeglann Posts: 2
    It's funny that this topic is here, because just a couple of days ago i made shrimp fried rice with leftover brown rice - and everybody loved it! i added a small amount of reduced fat peanut butter, green onion, garlic powder and plenty of soy sauce. it was really good.

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