Tackling the Brown Rice Phobia with the Brown Rice and Methi (Fenugreek) Pulao

Honestly speaking Brown Rice scares me a lot. I have eaten it a few times and enjoyed it but then when it comes to cooking it, I am just lost.

Not that I am not adventurous for I have tried tackling this demon a few times now. But every time I have been really disappointed. Sometimes I got a Brown Rice slush and the other times some undercooked mess. “D” refuses to touch it because according to him it is not rice.

I am desperate to get on a healthy diet and I had to rope him in too else I would be spending my entire life cooking White rice for him and Brown rice for me. So I had to convert him that Brown rice was the way to go ahead.

It is a healthier version of Rice without the guilt. The reason brown rice has many more nutrients than regular white rice is due to the fact that brown rice has only the outer layer, called the hull, removed while white rice has been refined for convenience with several layers—therefore nutrients, removed.

The fiber in brown rice produces the best health benefit of all; fat burning. In addition to requiring more of your body to break it down, the fiber in brown rice helps satisfy your appetite and therefore decreasing your chances of overeating. That is the equation for fat loss; eat less and burn more.

Then a few days ago my blogger friend “Anshie” from Spice Roots, did an amazing post on How to cook Brown rice .That offered some encouragement for me to try it. Another friend “Gauri” from http://runnergirlinthekitchen.blogspot.com.au/ did a post on making Brown Rice Pulao. Now if this was not a sign not sure what was. So I decided to give it a try.

I started cooking plain Brown rice almost every week and got good results. So I thought it was time to use it to make a Pulao. And I decided to use Fenugreek leaves (Methi) which is another power house to make my Pulao nutritious  and healthy.

The resulting dish was healthy and delicious and I did not feel guilty taking a second helping after a long time. One thing to keep in mind here is that Fenugreek has a bitter taste. Adding Lemon juice to the Pulao takes away the Bitterness however if you do not like Fenugreek you can use other Vegetables like Celery, Zucchini and even add Chicken breasts or Prawns to make it into a non vegetarian Pulao.

Recipe (Cooking time 40 minutes, serves 4)

1 Cup Brown Rice (I used Dawaat brand as they did not require soaking for a long time)

1 1/2 Onion finely chopped

2 Tomatoes finely chopped

1 tbsp Tomato Paste

1 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 1/2 tsp Chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp Coriander powder

300 gms Methi (I used dried and frozen methi. If you are using fresh please remove the stalks, clean and wash before you use)

1 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Ginger paste

Juice of 1 Lemon

2 cups Water

1) Wash and Soak the Rice in 2 cups water and leave it while we get everything else ready which should take around 20 – 25 minutes.

2) Heat oil in the pan and add the Cumin seeds, once they start to splutter add the Ginger paste and chopped Onions and Saute till the Onions are almost translucent.

3) Add the Chopped Tomatoes and saute till the Oil starts to separate.

4) Now add the Fenugreek and mix well. Cover the the pan and let the fenugreek cook on a low flame for around 10 minutes.

5) Add the Salt, Turmeric, Chili and Coriander powder and mix well.

6) Throw away the water in which we soaked the rice and add the rice to the pan coating it with the mixture really well. Let it saute for atleast 5 minutes on a low flame. Keep stirring the pan to ensure the rice does not stick.

7) Now add 2 cups water and let it boil. After the first boil turn the heat down, cover the pan and let it cook till all the water has evaporated.

8) Once the rice is cooked turn off the heat and wait for 10 minutes with the pan covered before you add the Lemon Juice and fluff the rice up.

9) Serve the rice with some Yogurt raita.

Source : Brown rice nutrition source information

Tags: Brown Rice, Fenugreek, Healthy, Pulao