Excellent Basic Brown Rice

Many years ago, I went through an intense health food period. This lasted a few years but certain things stuck with me for a long time. One of them was brown rice as opposed to white rice. A little vignette to elucidate how serious this was at the time, my twin daughters, about 9 or so then, went to a friend’s house for a meal and came back trying to describe a delicacy they’d devoured there. It was white, shaped like little ovals and eureka! it hit me, it was white rice. I laughed and laughed. But I didn’t stop making brown rice.

Now, with 20 20 hindsight, I can’t totally blame the kids for eschewing brown rice the second they could. You see, I could not emulate the just right texture between fluffy and chewy that good brown rice should have. The only time I’d come close was when I’d bake it and even then, eh, not exactly.

I’d read in the past that there are those who make it like pasta but just didn’t go for that, I know not why. I sorta stopped making it since I was dissatisfied and then the other day, I spotted on a website called Mel’s kitchen cafe, how to cook perfect brown rice. *

In fact, she too says to cook it like pasta, and this entails boiling up a large quantity of water, 6 cups water to 1 cup rice, literally doubling the water per cup of rice. I found this on Saveur as well, they use even more water but you can use the 6 cups and it’s great.

This is not complicated at all, and I tried it a bunch of times to see what, if anything makes a difference. So all of them basically are boiling the rice with no seasonings at all since you are draining just like you would pasta.

I tried that the first time, and my handy sometimes sous chef Netanel was by my side, and I asked him to test taste it. He did and he said the texture is perfect but it’s really tasteless. Now the original recipe (everywhere I looked) called for half a teaspoon of salt. But seriously? In a vat of 6 cups of water? So, after ascertaining that Netanel was correct, the rice’s texture is perfect but the taste beyond bland, I decided to change it up a bit.

First take your brown rice and rinse it off (I wound up using 2 cups since I used it all week long happily). Then take a ginormous pot to hold 12 cups of water (or 6 if you choose to do one cup) and bring to a rolling boil.

To this water I added 3 tablespoons of oil, 2 heaping teaspoons of salt, and some onion soup powder and some chopped parsley so the rice would cook in a broth and not be tasteless. Yes, I know we will drain it off but still… and add the rice, stir once well and let cook.

Now you see a nice boil going on, not quite as hysterical as pasta on the reboil but still boiling. Do NOT lower the flame, let it boil in the water. It won’t be roiling but will bubble nicely. DON’T cover the pot. Just like pasta. Even if you are tempted (which I was, it just seemed wrong, ya know?)

You will be able to peek at it and see the rice starting to mount up in the pot.

All told, time the rice (and make sure you do) for 30 minutes of cooking and when your timer goes off, have to hand a sieve or colander that the rice won’t fall out of (I was nervous it would since my finer mesh sieve is too small for the 2 cups of rice, so I lined it with paper towels) and pour the rice into the waiting colander/sieve.

Already looks fluffy, no? And note the bits of parsley. Anyway, you are only letting it drain and immediately return it to the pot, turn off your flame but I put it back on the spot it was on to keep it warm and cover tightly, with a towel or paper towel between the lid and the rice (don’t let it fall in!)

Let it rest and steam for an additional ten minutes and then fluff with a fork and yeah, it will fluff and be that perfect combo of slight chew and fluffy. You absolutely must taste this before you serve it since you’ve drained off the flavor (although not all, it cooked in a broth remember) and it’ll probably need more salt but really that was all I felt it lacked.

Finally, I can tell my twins (now 37!) your mama got the brown rice down. Come have some!

Excellent Brown Rice

This is the basic recipe, if you wish to make more than one cup, double, triple etc. the water, salt and spice measurements.

1 cup brown rice of any kind as long as it’s brown, i.e. short or long grain, Persian, etc.

6 cups water

2 rounded teaspoons salt

2 rounded teaspoons onion or vegetable soup powder (to give a brothy substance to the water)

chopped parsley (optional but nice)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Bring the water to a rolling boil and add salt, soup powder, oil and chopped parsley if using. Add the rice and stir well once. Let come to the boil and DO NOT COVER. Time it for 30 minutes and have a colander ready at the sink and drain the rice into the colander just till liquid is drained properly, literally not more than 10 seconds or so and immediately return to pot. Turn off flame, cover pot tightly with a towel if you wish, between lid and rice to absorb excess condensation, and place back on burner without the flame on. Let steam 10 more minutes, fluff with fork and taste to adjust seasonings, usually you only need more salt.

P.S. DH who was not a big rice eater not only ate it but asked for more. He also happily ate it all week long. So, there you go!

*melkitchencafe.com