Brown rice is a staple in my pantry. I love how versatile it is and I love the extra flavor and texture that brown rice has versus white rice. However, I must admit that I am not a big fan of how long it takes to cook (40 minutes after the rice/water comes to a boil) and that it is often times mushy/starchy. Well, the other day, I was watching “Good Eats” with Alton Brown and he shared how to make Perfect Rice in a Rush using white rice. This piqued my curiosity. “Could I adapt this for brown rice?” Well, guess what? You can!
How to Make PERFECT Brown Rice
Now, the typical recipe for making brown rice is as follows:
Place 1 cup of brown rice, 2 cups of water, & 1 Tbsp in a pot. Heat to boiling. Then turn down the heat and simmer 40 minutes (until all the water is absorbed). Take off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes and then fluff with a fork.
This will make brown rice and it’s how I’ve made rice my entire adult life. It is yummy but it can be a bit on the mushy side and it takes almost an hour from start to finish.
Let’s take a look at this yummy bowl of rice again. See how the grains are individual, like you would get with white rice. There’s virtually no “starchy” gloppy-ness about it? I wish you could taste it because it’s so nutty and flavorful. So how do you make this yummy rice?
Here’s how…sorry I don’t have step by step photos because you have to work quickly.
- You will measure the water in one pot and place it on the stove to boil.
- You will measure the butter in a large pot and melt it over medium high heat. Once the butter has melted and begins to brown, add the rice and stir constantly until the rice begins to brown.
- The toasting of the rice brings out the natural sugars, breaks down the cell walls a bit and also makes the rice very hot…you’ll see why in a bit.
- About the same time that you have nicely browned rice, your water should be boiling. Quickly pour the boiling water into your rice pot and cover with the lid.
- The heat in the rice will cause the already boiling water to really “boil hard” when added and may actually boil over if your pot isn’t large enough.
- Turn the heat down to low and cook another 25 minutes or until the liquid has been completely absorbed.
- The weather and your altitude can alter the cooking time. For example, we had a storm approaching and a Low front was coming in and so it took 30 minutes to cook the rice that day.
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
Trust me, this stuff is sssooo good! I know you’ll love it. How do you cook your rice?
- 2 cups water
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown rice
- In a pot place 1 cup water and cook over high heat until it boils.
- While you are waiting for your water to boil, grab a large pot and melt the butter over high heat until it begins to brown.
- Add the brown rice to your melted butter, stirring constantly until the rice has browned nicely. Your water should be boiling by now.
- Pour the boiling water into the pot with your toasted rice (be careful, it will really boil hard), cover with the lid, turn the heat down, and cook for 25 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed.
- Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
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