Rice is a staple food in Indian households and is available in various forms such as brown, white, red, and black. Brown and white rice is common whereas red and black rice is grouped into the brown rice category. Health and fitness enthusiasts and individuals who follow a strict diet to lose weight prefer brown rice. Do you know why? This is because brown rice has all the grain portions and nutrients, which include the fibrous bran, carbohydrate-infused endosperm, and nutrient-rich germ, White rice is also good but the types of brown rice are healthier.
Brown rice is a staple food for health-conscious consumers. It is known for its high nutritional value and nuttiness. However, with multiple types of brown rice available in the market, choosing one becomes overwhelming and challenging. So, what should you do? Explore the different brown rice varieties in this blog and find the best-tasting one for your dish!
Many varieties of brown rice are available in the market with unique characteristics. Your choice of the best brown rice depends on your taste and what you want to prepare. Let’s look at the different varieties of brown rice and find which one suits your needs the best:
Basmati brown rice is a common variety with long-sized grains and a light nutty flavour in contrast to other types of brown rice. The texture of this variety becomes firm after cooking. It is a staple food in Indian and Middle-Eastern cuisine. Basmati brown rice is preferred for its capability to retain its shape even when paired with sauces and ketchup. This variety of rice does not get mushy at all even in soupy and saucy meals.
Jasmin brown rice has long-sized grains which are often preferred for their sweet fragrance, nutty flavour, and light sticky texture. Complimenting numerous flavours, these types of brown rice are commonly used to cook various dishes in South Asian cuisine, making it one of the best types for a wide range of meals.
Short and plumped-sized grains and chewy texture make short-grain brown rice stand out. These types of brown rice are often used to cook sushi and other Asian dishes, where their capability to bind and hold together everything properly is extremely valuable. The firm nature, texture, and unique flavour make short-grain brown rice a preferable choice if you enjoy short-sized grains more than their longer counterparts.
Medium-sized brown rice is large in size and plump in contrast to the small type. It becomes soft and moist after cooking. The medium-grain brown rice goes well with salads and soups and takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes to cook. The long-grain brown rice is slightly like normal Basmati rice. The taste is similar to the light brown rice and takes around 45 minutes to cook.
Light brown rice is called so because more than half of the bran is eliminated during the milling process. Therefore, the grain colour changes to light brown and leaves a nutty taste after being cooked. It takes approximately 20 minutes to get fully cooked, and the fibre amount is less than other types of brown rice, especially the medium and long ones.
The Brown Japonica Rice is among the best types of brown rice available in India mainly due to its smaller yet unusual milling procedure. The Brown Japonica rice is milled in small batches rather than milling large batches and storing them for a long time. This ensures its freshness when customers get the delivery. Moreover, the small-batch milling technique greatly enhances the texture and the delicacy of brown rice. The milling, packing and delivery of this type of rice in small batches ensures that the nutty taste and freshness that customers prefer are preserved well.
Red and black rice differ from conventional brown rice, but are often considered brown rice due to similar milling approaches. They offer unusual tastes and high nutrition, bringing a variety of colours and healthy twists to your dining table. The rich flavour and anti-oxidant make these rice varieties an interesting choice if you prefer brown rice over white rice.
Now that you know the different varieties of brown rice, you may wonder about what to select. The question that crops up in your mind is: Which variety of brown rice should you choose? You can select any brown rice type depending on what you need and what you want to prepare. Firstly, decide the dish you want to cook: lemon rice, pulao, kheer, mint rice, mango rice, rajma chawal, spinach rice, biryani, jeera rice, fried rice, etc. Then, select a brown rice variety. All types offer many health benefits, and unique tastes and flavours.
Cooking brown rice properly is essential to enjoy its full health benefits and high nutrition. A few helpful tips to cook brown rice are as follows:
