Rice is considered to be a household meal staple for most families. And while this is a source of carbohydrates, unfortunately, it’s not viewed as a very healthy source of nutrients that our bodies need. This is why most people steer away from making white rice a part of their daily diets and they go for other alternatives such as hard-boiled eggs instead. Luckily, there are different types of rice that you can use for your meals – and these are considered healthier and friendlier to the body. One of which is brown rice.
Did you know that you can make fried rice using cooked brown rice? After you learn about how healthy this type of rice is for the body, why don’t you head out to your kitchen and make some.
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Brown Rice: What is It and What Are Its Benefits?
Brown rice is a type of rice which hasn’t been processed yet. Its main features include each grain having their bran and side hulls on. So while it is still unprocessed or untreated, brown rice is still considered as healthy whole grains. It’s a known fact that white rice is processed brown rice.
Like white rice, cooking it may vary depending on the type and brand. Each kind will require a specific amount of water to cook, but it certainly is not that difficult to cook.
Here is a related post: Best Japanese Rice Cookers For Your Kitchen
Benefits of Brown Rice
Brown rice is the healthier counterpart of the infamous white rice. Unlike white rice that has unhealthy carbs which turn into sugar when digested, brown rice contains vitamins and minerals that aid in digestion, weight loss, and disease prevention.
- Rich in Natural Oils. Brown rice has healthy oils that help decrease and eventually normalize your cholesterol levels. This prevents heart diseases and high blood pressure.
- Rich in Manganese. Did you know that 1 cup of brown rice provides you with 80% of your body’s daily manganese needs? Manganese helps process fats and improves your reproductive health. It also keeps your nervous system healthy.
- Rich in Selenium. Brown rice holds enough selenium to help prevent serious ailments such as heart diseases, certain types of cancer, arthritis and rheumatism.
- Rich in Fiber that Aids in Weight Loss. Since brown rice has not been processed or treated yet, it’s fiber contents are still there to help you digest your food well. It regulates bowel movement as well. Just like other types of rice, it keeps you feeling full for a long time – which means that your frequency of meals will normalize as well. But unlike its counterpart, it does not quickly turn into sugar when digested.
- Rich in Antioxidants. Brown rice helps you flush out toxins from the body since it aids in digestion.
A Colorful Brow Rice Recipe: Shrimp Fried Rice
Having kids can get a bit challenging especially when it comes to preparing family meals. You do not have to consider the health benefits that you can get from the food that you make, but also its appeal to your kids. Our children are always looking for color and flavor.
It brings me back to my childhood, when my father would make fried rice using left-over cured meat he sliced in his meat slicer and whatever vegetables we had in the fridge. But this brown rice dish is not just visually appealing and tasty, it is also a really healthy version of my childhood favorite!
Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 to 8 (1 cup)
Ingredients:
- 1 and ½ cups of water
- 1 cup of instant brown rice
- 4 teaspoons of canola oil, divided (you can use any flavorless oil)
- 2 large organic eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 (8 oz.) pack of shrimps, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons of freshly minced
- 4 cups of snap peas, strings removed
- 1 medium sweet red bell pepper, cut into small cubes
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into thin sticks
- 2 Tablespoons of hoisin sauce (you can also use low-sodium oyster sauce)
- 4 teaspoons of low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil
- 4 stalks of scallions, chopped and divided
Directions:
- In a small pot, place the instant brown rice and cover it with 1 and ½ cups of water. Cook according to the directions on the box. It usually takes about 10 to 12 minutes to cook. Once cooked, spread the rice on a tray and allow to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, hoisin sauce and soy sauce together and set aside.
- In a non-stick pan or cookware for glass cooktops, heat up about 1 teaspoon of canola oil and cook the eggs. Make sure that you break them into small pieces. Remove from the pan and set aside for later.
- In the same pan, heat up another teaspoon of oil and stir-fry the shrimps for about 1 to 2 minutes or until pink and cooked through. Set aside.
- Using the remaining oil, sauté the ginger until fragrant and soft. Add the snap peas, red bell peppers, half of the scallions and the carrots. Stir-fry for another 5 minutes. Do not overcook the vegetables.
- Add the cooked and cooled brown rice and mix well. At this point, you may start adding the eggs and shrimps. Mix well and cook for another minute.
- Stir in the sauce mixture and mix until well combined. Once the sauce has been completely mixed, turn the heat off and serve with a sprinkling of the remaining chopped scallions.
Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Calories: 157.5
Total Fat: 5.5 grams
Fiber: 2.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 17 grams
Protein: 10 grams
Cholesterol: 92.5 mg
This is really one of nature’s miracle food. So do not hesitate to include this in your diet or pair it with meat cooked to perfection using a pellet griller/smoker. But like most types of carb-rich food, you should eat this in regulated amounts as well, if you want to keep losing weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle for you and your family.
About the Author:
Olivia Rose here! As a food blogger at My King Cook, I know how much important vegetables are for the health. But being a mother, I also know that it’s hard to convince your children to eat their veggies. However, my food blogging experiences led me to discover some easy and delicious vegetable recipes. This is why I like to share my pleasant experiences with vegetables with my readers as well.
