I am going to try some brown rice tonight, instead of the usual white or jasmine. I will cook it using low sodium chicken broth. Wonder if anyone has a spice combo that will perk it up? I usually throw in some garlic seasoning mix, taco spice or Mrs. Dash. I am serving it with grilled tilapia tonight, so not sure if I should just leave it plain or try something different. Maybe use the salmon spice mixture I put on the fish?

Thanks!

Try baking brown rice. I use this recipe by Alton Brown :

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/a...ipe/index.html

This is fool-proof recipe, rice is so nutty and chewy that you will enjoy its flavor.

I just started making this with the brown jasmine rice from trader joes and I totally love it. I take 1 1/4 cups of the rice, 1 1/2 cups of good chicken stock and a container of fresh salsa (in the cold section, I have used the grandessa brand from Aldi's, another brand called Jack's special at Marc's and also the Trader Joes Fresh Salsa). I bring the mixture to a boil and reduce it to low for about 30-40 minutes checking a few times. It is sooo good.

Lemon or lime zest, basil or thyme, garlic. Orange zest and juice. I really like the bright flavors of citrus with brown rice. And they are good on fish too if you like fish. (I don't, but Robert does)

Barb

For a long time I hated brown rice because it was so bland but I found out I was over cooking it and the texture was just wrong. I got a little $10 rice cooker and now the brown rice comes out perfectly intact and it tastes amazing.
I also use the brown jasmine rice and the brown basmati rice from Trader Joes. It's so good I can eat it plain now!

So is brown rice supposed to be chewier? I cooked it for 30 min. according to the directions, until all liquid was absorbed. But it didn't taste like it was quite done to me. Is that how it is supposed to turn out?

I tried Alton Brown's oven recipe but I have variable numbers of people to feed. I like the rice cooker better.

Whatever you have liked with white rice, do that with brown. I think 45 minutes on the stove is closer to the cooking time, not knowing your quantities, another reason to use the rice cooker.

I make it Latino flavors, cajun, dill, plain if a sauce is going over it. I like that it keeps me feeling full longer.

Enjoy whatever you choose to do.

Do you like slightly spicy!?

I eat mine with Kimchi. It's Korean and can be found in most grocery stores. It's crisp, cold, and slightly spicy. Goes perfect with my brown rice!

Brown rice is chewier than white.

I like it like this.

Set this aside:

* 1.5 cups frozen peas
* a 6 oz jar of marinated artichoke, drained (save 1 tbs of jar juice)

Dump all this into a rice cooker and cook til done:

* 1 tbs of the artichoke marinade
* 1 cup brown rice
* 2 cups water
* 1 vegetable boullion cube
* 1/2 tsp onion powder
* 1/2 tsp oregano
* 1/4 tsp thyme
* 1/4 tsp garlic powder
* 1/4 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

When rice cooker clicks off, stir in the peas and artichokes and serve. The lemon pepper is what makes this dish for me.

A.

That sounds yum, astrophe.

I made brown rice the other day with chicken broth and peas. The peas were a simple but tasty compliment to the rice.

Sesame oil is very flavorful and tasty. It is an oil but it is more for flavoring. A little bit could go a long way.

I like to add veggies to my rice as well.

Lemon pepper might do the trick, I experiment with rice as I never know what to put on it. I used to always use the boxes with flavoring in them. Possibly some kind of italian dressing might be good for it, or a white sauce... if you're using broth garlic is great, maybe some shaker Parmesan cheese. That tends to do wonders.

Brown rice is a bit more chewier then white. I usually cook brown rice for 45 minutes, turn off the heat then leave the lid on and let it steam another 15-20 minutes.

It really depends on how chewy you like your rice. If you like it really soft, then cook it for about an hour.

Also, brown rice needs a little bit more water then white rice. Usually white rice is 1:1, brown rice is about 1.5 to 2 cups water to 1 cup rice-also depends on how you like your rice.

Try different amounts of water and different times and see which way you like it. Everyone has different tastes.

Sarah in MD

Thank you all so much for the tips! I've used the frozen peas quite often w/ the white rice.

I may try the sesame oil. lemon pepper, lemon/lime zest.....who knows!! I will defiinitely cook it longer/with more liquid next time.

I found an article a while back that explains how to make "perfect" brown rice.

http://pinchmysalt.com/2009/04/06/ho...ct-brown-rice/

Sounds like a bit more of a hassle to me but I think I will try it soon to see if it makes fluffier rice!

Thanks for posting this! I tried it out earlier this week, and it turned out marvelous.