I eat it for the health benefits, but it sure does taste bland. I do add a little butter and salt, which helps and I know if I added more, it would taste better. Any suggestions?

I like to add a boullion cube, or some herbs to the cooking water. It's also good served with Bragg's Liquid Aminos, or soy sauce.

Also, there is good old breakfast-style rice...butter, sugar, milk, and a little cinnamon. Not the healthiest dish, but it sure tastes great.
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[This message has been edited by Absinthe (edited 06-27-2003).]

How are you cooking it? Are you using a steamer or a sauce pan. Also, stick to California short grain brown rice. It has a much nice texture, nut-like flavor and pleasant aroma. I almost always mix in a lttle salsa as a side dish. Also makes a great hot cereal when you stir the left overs into the next days hot oameal. Sort of a rough & smooth texture with great flavor and don't skimp on the raisins, cinnamon and Splenda.

How can brown rice taste better? I would expect that you could find some recipes on the net that could help. I haven't checked lately, but I'm pretty sure that they are there.

I eat lots of brown rice - but mainly as a cereal. What I found out accidentally years ago, is when I grind up the brown rice to a fine consistency with my Vitamix (a heavy-duty food processor), is that the grainy texture of the rice disappears. It turns out to be so silky white and smooth. I add fruit and milk to these cereals to make it taste good. Often I mix other whole grains like wheat berries and flax seed to this brown rice, to give it a nice flavor too.

Originally posted by rhody:
How can brown rice taste better? I would expect that you could find some recipes on the net that could help. I haven't checked lately, but I'm pretty sure that they are there.

I eat lots of brown rice - but mainly as a cereal. What I found out accidentally years ago, is when I grind up the brown rice to a fine consistency with my Vitamix (a heavy-duty food processor), is that the grainy texture of the rice disappears. It turns out to be so silky white and smooth. I add fruit and milk to these cereals to make it taste good. Often I mix other whole grains like wheat berries and flax seed to this brown rice, to give it a nice flavor too.

rhody - i never thought of doing this - it sounds yummy! i just bought a grinder for my flax too http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

I think brown rice is great as it is with some vegetables, but when I eat it more or less as the staple of the meal, I add the following to it: olive oil, some chopped up raw garlic, some gomasu (toasted sesame seeds & sea salt), chopped up raw bok choy, some raw broccoli. It's very delicious.

Boil it in chicken broth instead of water. Chop some green onions up in it while you are cooking it. Good luck!

okay what i do is when i make a mexican dish, i make a side of brown rice. i make it regular according to the box and then when it is done. i put it in a frying pan with a little olive oil (1 to 2 tablespoons at the most), cilantro, onion, garlic, tomato, and chili powder. and i just make it crisp and fry it up and it makes a great side. just add everything to taste. i like a lot of garlic and cilantro.

HOT SAUCE lol i use it on everything, i also heard that spicy things boost your matabolism(sp?)

Do you eat brown rice for the fiber or for the nutrients?

There's a newer type of rice in Japan called "haiga" rice (or "germ rice"). I'd probably call it "beige rice" in English because it's like halfway between white and brown rice. It has the rice bran removed like white rice, but the germ remains intact like brown rice. It has most of the nutritional value of brown rice, except only half the fiber. But it tastes almost like white rice.

The bran has lots of fiber, but it doesn't taste that great and it's harder to chew. Most of the vitamins and minerals are in the germ. So if you're eating brown rice for the nutrients, than beige rice is a better tasting alternative.

The biggest problem is that it has a shorter shelf life than any other type of rice.