I grew up like many who live in Asian households with a heaping mound of steaming white rice on my plate at most meals. As I started to cook for my family, not knowing any better, I did the same for many years until I started to learn more about the benefits of eating whole grains.
What exactly is a whole grain? A whole grain has not been processed and contains the three layers of the grain – the bran, germ and endosperm. The bran is the outer layer and is rich in fiber, antioxidants, and B vitamins. The germ provides nourishment for the seed and also contains B-vitamins, protein, mineral, fat and and antioxidants. The endosperm is the inner kernel and contains primarily carbohydrates along with some protein, vitamins and minerals.
Brown rice is a whole grain. White rice is the endosperm of the rice devoid of the fiber. Because it is lacking in fiber, it digests much faster and can spike blood sugar and cause constipation.
I have tried to transition my family to brown rice for this reason. However, they are still pretty attached to their white rice and were not welcoming to an immediate transition to 100% brown rice.
Hence, 50/50 brown and white rice was created.
Brown rice takes longer to cook because of the fibrous sheath. If you tried to cook them together simultaneously it would lead to uneven cooking. So here is the very simple trick you can do to make 50/50 brown rice.
Soak the brown rice in water for 20 minutes.
Then you mix it with an equal part white rice and cook as you normally do. Make sure you rinse the rice before you cook it. I personally use a rice cooker to make my rice since we eat it so often. We make a big pot and save it in the refrigerator to use over the next few days which is great for meal prep.
My goal is to eventually get to 100% brown rice but I have to do it when my family is ready to make that transition. Getting your family to buy in to the changes you introduce is a big part of making the process collaborative instead of forced which ultimately increases your chance of success.
