Brown Rice
 

What can I do to brown rice to give it a bit more flavor? I have brown rice that I can steam but it taste so blan. What can I do to it to bump it up a notch in taste?

Thanks
Kayla

Kayla, three words for you:

Basmati Brown Rice

It is so good on its own, you won't believe it. It smells like popcorn while it is cooking.

I hope you give it a try!

Good luck.

I like to mix brown rice with some homemade salsa. It's yummy as a side dish.

If you have the time to do it, I like mine with stir fry vegies.
I saute brocoli, carrots, bean sprouts, onion, asparagus, (any vegie you like) saute them with a little soy sauce and put it over the rice. To make a big meal of it, add some shrimp to the vegies, yummy :D

First off, I cook all of my brown rice in chicken stock, instead of in water. It makes a HUGE difference.

Second, I use a brown and wild rice blend...I find that the wild rice really makes it taste nutty and delicious.

Thanks for all the input. I will definitely have to try the basmati. I thought about doing the Stir fry thing with veggies I just wasn't sure how healthy soy sauce was. Also I like the Chicken Stock idea thats a good idea!

Thanks girls!

Kayla

You can put a cube of maggie in the water or the chicken stock (as already suggested). I made rice tonight and lentils and ate them together tonight. So yummy.....

I like a bit of soy sauce, it goes very well with the rice.

I always add dried rosemary to mine while it's cooking. It's a great flavor!

I use low sodium soy sauce from Trader Joe's. It's one of the few brands that is really low sodium and it's tasty.

I just cook my brown rice in water, but I'd say that all of the dishes I serve with brown rice are very flavorful. I don't feel the need to spice up my rice. I eat rice under or with dishes like Thai curries, Indian curries, Stir fries, Kim chee, etc. Either that or add it too dishes like African stew or soups.

I do like the idea of mixing in salsa though. Especially if you are serving it with a Mexican dish.

i like adding taco mix to give mine some spice

I cook mine in vegetable broth if I'm going to eat it on the side. Usually I add rice to my dish, so it picks up the flavor from there. I love to stir fry squash, onions, mushroom, zucchini, red peppers, etc, and add them to rice and season with balsamic vinegar and sundried tomatoes. Kind of a Mediterranean stir fry :)

I also use some sort of stock to boil my rice in. It makes a huge difference!

I also suggest using a light soy sauce! that's what I do! regular soy sauce has a ton of sodium!

Or I also put a sprinkle of garlic and herb mrs. dash, yummeh!

I put in pine nuts

I love medium-grain brown rice (yes! it is available) and making risotto with it. For the long grained varieties, i definitely concur with maryblu and say go for the Basmati - it's so much more aromatic, and tastes amazing just on its own. (Alternately, a good brown rice pilaf - rice sauteed in a TINY bit of fat with onions and spices, then boiled in stock - is fantastic.)

Oh, I make a brown basmati and wild rice salad with pine nuts in it. Delicious. It also has orange zest in the water while cooking the rice.

(The rest of it is roasted bell peppers (I like orange and yellow), kalamata and green olives, lots of fresh chopped basil (although I use dried in a pinch), and of course olive oil and garlic. I add chickpeas to the recipe. Very colorful and pretty, very tasty, good hot or cold.)

We have a restaurant in Vancouver that serves brown rice Sushi! I've heard people make them so that would be a good home cooking project.

pine nuts are good but adding pesto makes you love brown rice. :)

Try your favorite vinagrette that you would use for salads. Just a small splash really punches up the flavor.

I love Kraft's Greek vinagrette with feta cheese, but I imagine it is a little too high in calories now that I am starting back on plan. There are some wonderful fat free basalmics available too.

Maybe even just lemon juice or a flavored vinegar.

yes, i use the low sodium soy sauce. and a little goes a long way. I agree with the chicken/ or vegetable stock instead of water. It does make a big difference.

This is the Italian in me talking, but I love mine with a little bit of olive oil and dried grated parmesan cheese. Yum.

Hi - this has been my family's favorite brown rice recipe for almost 30 years:

1 onion chopped
1 c. brown rice
2 c. chicken stock
2 t. - 1 T worstishire sauce
1/2 t. thyme
1/2 - 1 t. garlic powder
t. - T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

sweat onions in olive oil and add brown rice to mixture and sautee rice and onions together for a few minutes. Add the rest, bring to a boil and simmer according to directions.

Often I'll add some fresh or canned mushrooms, too.

It's so tasty.

I use this to accompany meats or chicken.

Leftovers are great with more veggies and egg whites with some lite soy sauce for a brown rice egg foo yong.

DH loves this rice when I add some wild rice too.

When my son used to come home from college...he always wanted to have this brown rice with something his dad would cook on the grill.

Like mtnheart, I love to have my brown rice with my favorite salad dressing. This really helps me in keeping a "theme" with my meal. For example, some of my favorite foods are asian-style noodle dishes. If I serve just a little bit of the noodles and a larger portion of the rice with some nuts and an Asian salad dressing I find myself satisfied a little quicker. But be aware of how much dressing you are using, its very easy to go overboard :(.

Another favorite for me is some good black pepper and some lemon juice and a bit of mint. Sounds a little wierd, but I love it!

um... this is making want brown rice for dinner!