Full of fibre

What makes brown rice brown? It’s due to the nutritionally rich brown layer of bran beneath the husks. Brown rice may be consumed as is or further processed into milled white rice by removing the layer of bran, revealing the white interior kernel. Cooked brown rice has a pleasant chewy texture and a subtle, nutty flavour.

While it does take longer to cook than white rice, brown rice is much healthier: its high-fibre content helps control cholesterol, which in turn helps stave off heart disease. Just one cup of brown rice will provide you with 88% of the daily value for manganese. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fibre and essential fatty acids.

Makes you wonder why anybody eats white rice, doesn’t it!

Well, there is one small downside: brown rice has a much shorter shelf life due to the oil in the germ, which can cause it to go rancid. Keep it in a cool, dark place for not more than six months. Refrigeration can extend shelf life.