My Brown Rice Method

Lisa from The Tin House asked me how I cook my brown rice. Rather than having to fossick through 'comments' to find it again, I thought I'd post it. Particularly since the method I use delivers a rather good result. Nice and light ~ almost fluffy.

I had my BIL lug a copy of 'Nourishing Traditions' by Sally Fallon all the way from the US. He was oh so glad to be rid of the hefty volume. I was giddy with delight at receiving it and spent many a morning over breakfast devouring its contents. I've learned so much from this book. It's not just a recipe book. It is chock full of fascinating information that has seen me completely rethink healthy nutrition for our family. For those of you in the US, you should be able to find it in the library. For those of us in Australia....you'll need to go to great lengths to get your hands on a copy. But I promise it is one of those things that is worth the effort.

Basic Brown Rice II

2 cups long grain or short grain brown rice
4 cups warm filtered water plus 4 tablespoons whey, yoghurt, kefir or buttermilk
1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
2-4 tablespoons butter (optional)

1. Place rice, and water mixture in a saucepan. Cover and leave in a warm place for 7 hours.
2. Bring to a boil, skim, reduce heat, stir in salt and butter and cover tightly. Without removing lid, cook over lowest heat possible for about 45 minutes. (keep an eye on it ~ you may need more water).
3. Drain in a colander. I use hot tap water to rinse before serving.
   

• For those with milk allergies, or like me, don't usually keep the acidic dairy ingredients mentioned, you can use lemon juice or vinegar instead. I always have vinegar in the pantry so that's what I generally use.
• The soaking time has no effect on the end result. You just won't get the benefits soaking gives. The rice will still turn out just as well.
  

The reason for the long soak, is that this will neutralise enzyme inhibitors. The rice is then easier to digest and increases the amounts of vitamins, especially B vitamins. This also helps protect against developing allergies, diseases and mental illnesses. That is the very basic reason for soaking the grains. However there is far more to it and the information is in the book.