Cooking Rice

Q I eat a lot of rice, since it’s easy to make and goes well with just about everything. There’s jasmine, basmati, long grain, short, grain, etc. Are they all the same nutrition-wise, or are some types of rice healthier than others? About all I know is to stay away from Minute Rice, since it’s been stripped of most of its nutrients. If you want to include rice as part of a meal, how do you decide what type of rice to use?

A Brown rice is the most balanced of all the cereal grains. All types of whole grains such as millet, barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, quinoa, rye and wheat berries contain carbohydrates, fat, protein and minerals. Unpolished brown rice is higher in minerals, protein and flavor than white rice, which is mostly starch. There are many varieties of rice. Here’s a few of the types of brown rice available.

Short grain brown rice is a small oval shaped grain best for cooler climates or wintertime cooking.

Medium grain brown rice a.k.a Golden Rose is an excellent year round grain. A little lighter than short grain rice.

Long grain brown rice is the lightest and fluffiest of the three. Closest to white rice in texture and best used in warmer weather.

Sweet brown rice is like a sticky rice and better used combined with the other brown rices or other grains.

Wild rice is also great combined with other grains. It has a strong nutty flavor.

Basmati rice is a aromatic rice that is similar to long grain.

All these rices are interchangeable. I recommend you use them all making your grain based meals exciting with variety, color and texture