I’m just super pumped about this brown rice that you can make in the oven! I had to share. I love brown rice and eat it all the time. The problem with cooking it on the stove is that sometimes it doesn’t turn out great…certain kernels are crunchy and others are mushy. I found a way to make it in the oven that turns out perfect every time!
I love podcasts and listen to them all the time. One that is on my play list is America’s Test Kitchen. The other day as I was listening, Bridget talked about the way that she makes brown rice in the oven. I was intrigued and tried it that day. It turned out perfect. I’ve made it this way ever since. I love that you can just stick it in the oven and not worry about it. It does take an hour but it takes 45 minutes on the stove so it’s not that much longer than usual.
You can make plain brown rice with this method or you can make something a little more interesting. I decided to use the same ratios that they mentioned in the podcast but to add some ingredients to make it an interesting side dish to serve with chicken. I decided on parmesan cheese, diced mushrooms and some garlic. I loved the results. Perfectly cooked rice that had loads of flavor. I love this method and I am going to use it from now on.
Basically you’ll heat up some water. I use the microwave for this but you can also use a pot on the stove. Then you’ll pour the water and rice together into an 8 inch square baking dish and add in a few other ingredients and then you’ll cover it tightly with foil and bake.
It’s pretty much just as easy as that! Really the seasoning and flavoring options for this rice are endless. The other day I made a rice dish this way with green chiles and served it with our Cafe Rio Chicken Salad. I’ll have to post the green chile rice recipe soon.
Some ideas to serve with Parmesan Garlic Mushroom Brown Rice:
Heat your oven to 375°F. Heat the water in the microwave (or on the stove) until almost boiling. I put mine in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Pour the water and rice into an 8-inch square baking dish (I use a glass dish like this). Add in the olive oil and salt.
Tightly cover the dish with foil. Bake for one hour. Remove the foil. If the rice still has liquid in it you can cook without the foil for a few more minutes (like 3-5 minutes).
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Mushroom, Garlic & Parmesan Brown Rice
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Prep Time:5
Cook Time:45
Total Time:50 minutes
Yield:3 cups of rice 1x
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Ingredients
Scale
2 1/3 cups water
1 cup brown rice (medium or long grain)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
3 white mushrooms, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions
Heat your oven to 375°F. Heat the water in the microwave (or on the stove) until almost boiling. I put mine in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Pour the water and rice into an 8-inch square baking dish(I use a glass dish like this). Add in the salt, olive oil, half of the Parmesan cheese, the chopped mushrooms and minced garlic. Give a little stir. Sprinkle the dish with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Tightly cover the dish with foil. Bake for one hour. Remove the foil. If the rice still has liquid in it you can cook without the foil for a few more minutes (like 3-5 minutes).
Just for fun, here is a picture of the plain brown rice I snapped with my phone…
Most packs of brown rice will say to boil for longer than white rice, so for around 30-35 mins. The trick is to simmer it for most of that, then for the last 5-10 mins leave it, well covered, to absorb the water off the heat – resulting in light perfectly tender grains every time.
Soaking is optional, but we recommend it! Soaking grains helps to remove some of the naturally-occurring phytic acid in the grain, which helps improve digestibility and speed cook time. To soak: Add rice to a large mixing bowl or pot and cover with twice the amount of lukewarm water (1 cup rice + 2-3 cups water).
Maybe you took the lid off of the pot too early, letting the steam escape.Maybe you didn't add enough liquid to begin with. Whatever the case, if your rice is looking dried out, or the texture is still hard or crunchy when all the liquid has been absorbed, add up to ½ cup water and return to a simmer with the lid on.
It is important to use BOILING water not cold tap water for the baked method. Otherwise it takes a good 15 minutes or so for the water to heat up enough to start cooking the rice during which the rice is just wallowing and bloating in warm water, resulting in mushy rice.
Because the bran is intact, brown rice takes longer to cook (almost twice as long as white rice) and tends to have a chewy consistency. The germ also contains nutrients, such as fiber, magnesium and other vitamins and minerals. White rice has had the bran and germ removed.
I use 2 cups of water for every cup of rice. Add the water and rice to a medium saucepan, and stir in a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Next, it's time to cook! Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the rice is tender and has absorbed the water.
Ginger and garlic both make for exceptional brown rice. If you're going the spice route we love turmeric, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika with brown rice. Try adding some of these spices to the pot as you cook your aromatic vegetables. Cook in a flavorful liquid.
Some of the rice's flavor does get lost to the excess water—chances are you won't notice—but so does the starch and anything else clinging to the grains, which means that even if you're a rice-rinsing devotee, you really can skip that step when choosing this method.
For this technique, you'll boil your rice in an abundance of water for 30 minutes. Drain off the excess water, return the rice to the pot, cover, and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Ta da! Perfect brown rice, every time.
If the heat is too high, the water evaporates before the rice has a chance to fully cook. If you don't add enough water, the rice ends up dry and crunchy. And if you don't cook the rice long enough, it gets soft on the outside but doesn't cook through.
Using 2 cups water for every 1 cup of rice, place rice and water in a large bowl. Let soak 90 minutes. If you're short on time, Marek notes that even soaking the rice for just 15 minutes “helps [the cooking] process go quicker and it also begins to remove the excess starches from the grain,” he says.
Do not uncover the pot to check the rice during cooking. Check the rice. Uncover and check to see if all the water has been absorbed; a little water on the very bottom is fine, but if there's more than a tablespoon, drain off the excess. At this point, the rice should also be chewy and tender, and no longer crunchy.
The bottom line. Brown rice is a more nutrient-dense product than white rice. Because of this, brown rice may help reduce blood sugar levels and aid in managing weight. But white rice is good for people with certain digestive issues and those who can't digest fiber-rich foods well.
The Right Ratio: Although it's printed on the package, the standard 2-to-1 ratio makes mushy rice. For long-grain brown rice, use 1 1/4 cups water to 1 cup rice. For short-grain brown rice, use 1 1/2 cups water to 1 cup rice.
Brown rice takes about 45 minutes to cook because it has more layers of rice grain. Brown rice contains the bran, germ, and endosperm. Brown rice takes longer to soften because the water must penetrate all grain layers. In contrast, white rice contains just the endosperm.
Brown rice is a healthy alternative to white rice, but it takes a little bit longer to cook, and you'll need slightly more liquid. Brown rice is a less-processed form of rice, which means the grains still have the outer layer of bran on them.
Do not uncover the pot to check the rice during cooking. Check the rice. Uncover and check to see if all the water has been absorbed; a little water on the very bottom is fine, but if there's more than a tablespoon, drain off the excess. At this point, the rice should also be chewy and tender, and no longer crunchy.
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Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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