The right way to cook brown rice

The fiber-packed superfood, brown rice, is a great alternative to white rice, especially for those who are on a weight loss journey. Though it takes longer to cook, its nutritious value makes it worth the time spent in preparing it.

Generally, while cooking rice, these steps are followed: Boiling water, adding a bowl of raw rice, adding salt, covering it with the lid and cooking it at low flame until rice is cooked. And if you are following the same recipe to cook brown rice, then you might not be preparing it the right way.

Below we have mentioned a few tips to cook brown rice in a way that will reserve its nutrient content.

TIP 1: NEVER FORGET TO RINSE THEM: Rinsing brown rice should be the first step. The main reason is to remove dust particles. After rinsing, drain it and put it in the pot you will be using to cook it. Now add water. The water level should come up to “the first line of your middle finger,” considering the tip of your middle finger is resting on the surface of the pan.

TIP 2: THE RIGHT-SIZED POT/ PAN: Use the right-sized pot or pan for cooking brown rice instead of a pressure cooker. Avoid using a small-sized pan and make sure that pan is large enough to accommodate the quantity of rice you’re cooking.

TIP 3. DON’T JUST ‘SET IT AND FORGET’: The third tip that you must take into consideration is to pay attention while cooking and don’t ‘set-it and forget.’ As soon as you keep the pan for cooking rice, boil it without covering it with a lid. Then on a medium flame, cook it for some more time without covering it. Now, cover the pan and let it cook. Keep checking until your rice is cooked and make sure rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

TIP 4: SHORT-GRAIN RICE MAY TAKE LONGER TO COOK: This may sound odd, but short-grain rice takes longer to cook. As brown rice is usually short-grain, they will take time for cooking. Pay attention while cooking brown rice.

TIP 5: LEFTOVERS ARE ALSO BENEFICIAL: Don’t throw the leftovers. You can fry them by adding different veggies. You can also add eggs, tofu and even nuts to make it more nutritious.