Cooking brown rice

You often hear that brown rice is good for you, and that it is healthier than white rice, but in my opinion it is also amazingly delicious, and once you know how to cook it, very easy to prepare.

I was introduced to brown rice quite early on, and my favourite dish when I was little was brown rice with red lentils and tamari (soya sauce).

Brown rice has a fantastic taste, and it is especially good with soya sauce and tahini (sesame paste). It can also be used in recipes that originally use white rice. Brown rice is also very good with all sorts of beans, and accompanies dishes like hummus or refried beans to perfection.
The important thing is to cook it properly. When tested it should not be AT ALL crunchy, but it should also not be a mush. Ideally each grain should stay separate from the others (although if you do overcook it a little, it is still perfectly acceptable).

Ingredients Brown rice.

Method.

1.Tip the required amount of brown rice (two cups will feed about four people)into a good sized pan. Add enough cold water to cover the rice, and swirl the rice round in a clockwise direction two or three times (this is just what I always do).



2. Tip the rice and water into a sieve and let the water pour away.
Return rice to the pan, and repeat the same process two more times, i.e. add enough water to the rice to cover, swirl round three times with your hand, drain, and return the rice to the pan.



3. Fill the pan with water again, and cover the rice with about two inches (6 cm) water. Boil over a high to medium heat, adding more water whenever the rice starts to look dry and to boil very noisily. If there is a lot of foam just turn down the heat a bit. Cook for about THREE QUARTERS OF AN HOUR!!



4.Yes, it's a long time, but that's how we get that delicious, nutty brown rice.
Of course, do keep tasting it, as it might be cooked a little while before.

5.Drain the brown rice as soon as it is cooked (if you leave it to stand in its cooking water it will all turn to a gloopy mess). Let the excess water pour away, and tip the rice back into the pan. Cover with a lid, and serve when everything alse is ready. It will stay hot in its pan a good while.

Mmmmm delicious brown rice.....