Really tasty Brown Rice. So tasty you can’t stop eating it.
Are you tired of feeding brown rice to the reluctant? And does the 45 minute cooking time get you down? I like the stuff, sometimes even crave its spartan simplicity, but really, it’s not up there with the quick ‘n tasty.
Ok, so this is what you do.
Get 1 c brown rice. Wash it thoroughly, rinsing several times. (You never know what floor it’s been spilled on and swept up off of during its journey to you.)
Put an empty, dry, pot on the stove on medium heat. It need not be cast iron, but a flimsy or bent pot won’t work so well.
Tip the wet rice into the pot, and dry it over the heat, stirring constantly. After a while the dry grains will start to pop. Not puffing out like popcorn, but its sort of similar. But gentler: you don’t need to keep the lid on.
Keep stirring till the rice looks different. Roasted rice is a little lighter, a little yellower, and not as shiny as raw rice. Keep stirring till most grains look transformed this way. It’s a subtle change, so keep some raw rice nearby to compare from time to time.
When the rice is thoroughly roasted, pour two cups of water into the pot. Caution: it will boil violently for a few seconds before settling down.
Put the lid on the pot, and cook on low for about 20 minutes. Yes that’s right, roasted brown rice takes less time to cook than raw rice.
While it’s cooking toast about 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and set aside. Black sesame seeds would look even better than white, but it’s a bit hard to tell how done they are when toasting. Also fry up 1/2 diced onion. I used a purple onion which is why there is a slight color to the onion pieces in the image.
Test the rice for doneness. When done, stir in the onion and the sesame seeds, and that’s it.
The combination of onion and sesame tastes, along with the extra boost of yummyness roasting imparts on the rice itself, makes normally reluctant rice eaters want multiple helpings. It’s not quite as irresistible as say, well-made stuffing, but it’s surprisingly moreish, and still really good for you.