South Beach Diet - Making Rice

Hey girls...My family's favorite rice is Uncle Ben's Long Grain & wild rice.....How can I make this myself with brown & wild rice....What type of seasonings to I use? Everytime I make brown rice...it has no flavor. I have tried using chicken broth instead of water. Thanks for any help.

Kathy

Sorry I can't help since I don't use brown rice but I do use Uncle Ben's Converted rice. I wanted to make sure that you were aware that it was allowed. Just make sure you use the original converted and not any type of instant.

What is converted rice?

"Long-grained white rice that has been steam processed prior to being hulled, enabling the nutrients within the bran to be absorbed prior to de-hulling the rice kernel." I Googled it.

lol...thanks Ruth...so we can have that then?

Yes! See Page 82 in the GFGC Guide. The rice to be avoided is anything instant. Brown, wild and converted are OK. A half cup cooked is a serving.

how long does it take to cook Converted rice?

Instructions are on the package. Abut 20 minutes I think. Better check the package as it may vary.

I used to hate brown rice, myself - I thought it tasted like cardboard. After I went through ph1 and started adding grains back, I bought a teenty weenty bag of brown rice to try it - although I was sure I'd hate it. Boy, was I wrong! I think a lot of the problem was that the rice I'd used before was stale. I make it with chicken broth, or (much more often) I make a brown rice pilaf by sauteeing onion and garlic in olive oil, adding the rice and sauteeing until it just starts to cook, then I add chicken broth, cover, and let it cook over low heat for about 50 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit for another 10-15 minutes. It's so yummy!!

That was one thing I just didn't get. Why is converted rice okay, but jasmine is not? I'd've thought converted was closer to instant than jasmine or other non-instant white rices. Myself, I hate foods that have been tampered with - the more tampering, the more I dislike them.

H-ko...that rice recipe sounds great...I think I will try it!!
Thanks

converted rice has a lower glycemic index than brown rice. I'm not sure how it compares with Jasmine. I cook my converted rice about 20 minutes.

What do you put in it Barb?

Most of the time I just cook the rice in plain water. I do have a jambalaya recipe where I add the uncooked rice to the jambalaya and cook it that way. It tastes just like white rice so you would cook it just like white rice.

I almost forgot - when I make my pilaf, I use 2 cups broth for every cup of brown rice, and I use long-grain brown rice but it's the same amount of broth for either long- or short-grain brown rice. That seems to work pretty well - the rice comes out tender, neither soggy nor underdone.