Toasted Brown Rice with Mushrooms & Thyme Recipe | Cookin' Canuck (2024)

FAQs

Should you toast brown rice? ›

Rinse and Toast for Better Brown Rice

I also find that rinsing helps improve the texture of the rice; it's less crucial than rinsing white rice, but still helps to make each grain distinct. Toasting the rice won't change its texture, but it gives the rice a more deeply nutty, toasted flavor.

Build flavors early on!

We love sauteeing some onions or leeks in butter with some thyme before adding rice to the pot, but you should use what you have around! Ginger and garlic both make for exceptional brown rice. If you're going the spice route we love turmeric, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika with brown rice.

And before you ask: Whether you choose to rinse your rice is a personal choice—some sources say you don't need to rinse brown rice at all. Our opinion: For the fluffiest brown rice possible, rinsing is the way to go.

Using 2 cups water for every 1 cup of rice, place rice and water in a large bowl. Let soak 90 minutes. If you're short on time, Marek notes that even soaking the rice for just 15 minutes “helps [the cooking] process go quicker and it also begins to remove the excess starches from the grain,” he says.

Toasting also reduces total boiling time and, for rice, ensures it won't get clumpy.

As with toasting spices and nuts, toasting grains before cooking can enhance the nutty depth of the grains, lending an extra layer of flavor to a final dish.

Add extra seasoning: cooking brown rice with salt is essential for flavorful grains, but you can also infuse more flavor by adding olive oil and butter, swapping in garlic salt, or adding spices such as cayenne, ground ginger or cumin.

Brown rice has a slight advantage over white rice when it comes to nutrient content. It has more fiber and antioxidants, as well as more vitamins and minerals. However, these differences aren't hugely significant.

Did you know toasting your rice before cooking can enhance the nutty depth of the grains? All you need to do is heat a non-stick or cast-iron pan low to medium heat. When the pan is heated, pour in the rice of your choice and stir it for 5-7 minutes and voila!

What happens if you dont wash brown rice? ›

Recent studies have also discovered that, as it is grown, rice can pick up arsenic that is found naturally in soil. Arsenic is an element that can exist in soil, water, plants, animals, and the air. It can be toxic when consumed in large amounts. Some experts suggested rinsing in order to remove the arsenic.

Soaking is optional, but we recommend it! Soaking grains helps to remove some of the naturally-occurring phytic acid in the grain, which helps improve digestibility and speed cook time. To soak: Add rice to a large mixing bowl or pot and cover with twice the amount of lukewarm water (1 cup rice + 2-3 cups water).

With a low carbohydrate content, the impact of brown rice on blood sugar and insulin levels is minimal, and people with diabetes can benefit by eating brown rice daily. Brown rice even has a lower glycemic index (GI) than white rice, which means that it is digested slower, having lesser effect on blood sugar.

If the heat is too high, the water evaporates before the rice has a chance to fully cook. If you don't add enough water, the rice ends up dry and crunchy. And if you don't cook the rice long enough, it gets soft on the outside but doesn't cook through.

It is important to use BOILING water not cold tap water for the baked method. Otherwise it takes a good 15 minutes or so for the water to heat up enough to start cooking the rice during which the rice is just wallowing and bloating in warm water, resulting in mushy rice.

One of the best ways to make rice more flavorful without adding extra seasoning is to simply toast it before cooking. Toasting rice brings out its natural nuttiness, but according to "Good Eats" host Alton Brown, you can take that flavor a step further by adding two staple ingredients you likely have on hand.

To cook brown rice on the stovetop, a good rule of thumb is to follow a 2 to 1 ratio of water to rice; so, for 1 cup of rice, you would use 2 cups of liquid. When in doubt, check the package directions for the optimal ratio for short-, medium-, and long-grain.

Toasting your rice prevents it from sticking together

That's why Bon Appétit recommends toasting the rice in oil before you cook it.

I mean quite simply frying your rice a little before boiling it, just enough to give it a slightly toasted flavour, but not so much as to cook it through before adding liquid.