Brown rice is kind of blah, right?
This healthy food staple doesn't have to be! I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful whole foods caterer as I planned our annual Christmas Dinner at work. I learned trick from her to help give you a more flavorful brown rice experience!
The secret? Toast your basmati brown rice and then BAKE it instead of boiling it to death! The result...brown rice with FLAVOR and perfect texture! I'm telling you, I've made brown rice for ages. But my kids have never repeatedly come upstairs to ask what "smells so good" while I was making rice before. Trust me, you'll never go back to the saucepan or steamer!
Ingredients:
{Makes about 8 cups of cooked rice, so feel free to half it.}
3 cups brown basmati rice
6 3/4 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp coconut oil
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Prepare a 13 x 9 inch pan by coating it with cooking spray. Set aside. Place your chicken stock in a large saucepan and place over medium heat. (I used a tinfoil roaster pan that is sized 11 3/4 x 9 3/8 x 2 5/16 inches because I was making it to bring to a friend.)
In a large, deep skillet, scoop one tablespoon of coconut oil onto the pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Allow the coconut oil to melt completely, then put your UNCOOKED rice into the skillet. Using a wooden spatula, move the rice around the pan to coat and use a spatula to keep it moving, toasting it evenly. Once it's browned all over, you want to remove the pan from the heat and immediately place the rice in your prepared pan or dish.
By now, your stock should be close to simmering, or at least hot. Once it is, you will want to pour it over the rice, and use your wooden spatula to stir them together. Cover tightly with two pieces of tinfoil and place in the middle of your preheated oven at 350 degrees. {If using a tinfoil pan, be sure to place it on a baking sheet so it's stable.} Bake 45 minutes, or until the liquid is completely absorbed into the rice. Remove from the oven and keep it covered 5 minutes to allow the rice to steam itself to perfection! This time was spot on for my oven, but remember, oven temperatures vary!
COOKING NOTES:
OVEN TEMPERATURE VARY! I checked mine halfway through, and every five minutes after, to be sure I removed the pan once the liquid absorbed completely. If it gets dry too fast, you will need to add a bit more chicken stock and continue to cook. Feel free to sample towards the end to be sure your adding enough liquid to get the right texture.
If you make a large batch like this, you can put portions of cooked rice into freezer bags and flatten them out to freeze for later meals. With this amount, you could easily freeze four dinner's worth of rice, for a family of four.
Coconut oil is very heat-stable, making it great for toasting rice at high heat levels. I notice it gives this rice a wonderfully nutty aroma and flavor - along with a touch of sweetness. For more information on coconut oil's health benefits, check out this Dr. Oz post.
I just learned you could do this! Will have to try it :)
ReplyDeleteHmm...I never would have thought to cook my rice. I'll have to give this a try. I am a little disappointed this recipe didn't start with a depants-ing story, though :)
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