Have you recently started cooking brown rice instead of white rice? Are you thinking about how to make brown rice taste good?
The first time I boiled brown rice, I was unsure if I had done it right. Its texture and taste were noticeably different from white rice.
Later, I realized that brown rice has a stronger and nuttier flavor than white rice. The grains also have a chewy consistency, unlike the soft texture of cooked white rice. It might not suit everybody’s taste buds!
If you don’t like the taste of brown rice, I have covered the seven best ways to make it more delicious. Let’s talk more about them.
7 Ways to Make Brown Rice Taste Good
The secret to cooking tasty brown rice is to cook it with additional ingredients. I experimented with many, such as butter, garlic, vegetables, Mediterranean spices, and Italian herbs.
The best part about cooking rice with these ingredients is that you don’t require extra cookware. This way, you won’t have to wash anything more and waste your time.
Let’s look at the various ways to enhance your brown rice’s flavors.
1. Use Butter, Garlic, and Onions
You can rarely go wrong with butter and garlic! It is one of my favorite combinations to improve any dish, including brown rice.
Butter, garlic, and onions provide a rich creaminess and buttery flavors to your brown rice, balancing its chewy texture and blandness.
The method is also pretty straightforward. Below are the steps to follow:
1. Add one tablespoon of butter to a cooking pot.
2. Turn up the heat to medium-high flame.
3. Sauté half onion and three finely chopped garlic cloves for five minutes in butter.
4. Add one cup of rinsed brown rice to the cooking pot.
5. Sauté the brown rice for five minutes in the butter mixture.
6. Pour two cups of water and sprinkle a pinch of salt for one cup of brown rice. Don’t add too much salt if you are using salted butter.
7. Close the lid tight and allow the rice to cook on a medium-high flame.
8. Once the water starts boiling, let the rice cook for 40 to 45 minutes on a low heat.
9. Turn off the heat when the grains look puffy. Your butter-garlic brown rice is ready!
2. Cook it Pilaf Style
I don’t always prefer the butter-garlic combination, as it gets repetitive. Instead, I cook the brown rice in a pilaf way with toasted aromatic spices.
You can also try cooking flavorful spices like bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves with brown rice. These spices add a unique Mediterranean twist to simple rice.
Here are the steps to follow:
1. Pour one tablespoon of vegetable oil into a cooking pot.
2. Add one cup of rinsed brown rice and toast it on medium-high flame.
3. Once the grains smell nutty, throw in a bay leaf, two to three cardamoms, one cinnamon stick, and two cloves. Toast everything for five minutes.
4. Add two cups of water and half a teaspoon of salt to one cup of brown rice.
5. Close the lid and let the rice cook on a medium-high flame.
6. Reduce the heat to low once the water starts boiling. Allow the rice to cook for 35 to 40 minutes.
7. Open the lid and check if the rice grains look soft and fluffy.
8. (Optional) Add three to four tablespoons of water if the rice hasn’t cooked properly. Let it boil again for a few minutes.
9. Turn off the stove, and transfer your brown rice to a bowl.
3. Use Chicken Broth for Boiling Brown Rice
There are days when you don’t feel like chopping even one vegetable. During such days, this is the quickest and healthiest solution to make brown rice taste good.
Cooking brown rice in chicken broth adds a savory flavor and a thicker texture to the grains. It also makes your dish more nutrient-rich.
Instead of using water to boil brown rice, use chicken broth in the same proportion.
Therefore, you need to add two cups of chicken broth for each cup of brown rice.
Note: Reduce the salt content while boiling brown rice if the broth contains salt.
4. Fry the Rice in Olive Oil, Parsley, and Lemon
You should cook brown rice in olive oil with parsley and lemon rice if you want something truly refreshing.
Parsley and olive oil give an earthy flavor to brown rice, whereas lemon adds a fresh tanginess. When you combine these ingredients, you get a recipe straight from heaven!
Here are the steps to follow:
1. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil into a cooking pot.
2. Add one cup of rinsed brown rice and toast it on a medium-high flame.
3. Squeeze two whole lemons into the toasted rice, and sauté everything well.
4. Sprinkle one-fourth teaspoon of dried parsley or basil. Ensure that you don’t add too much as dried herbs have an overpowering flavor.
5. (Optional) Add half a teaspoon of chili flakes if you want to make your brown rice a little spicy.
6. Sauté everything well and add two cups of water for one cup of rice. Sprinkle half a teaspoon of salt too.
7. Close the lid and let the rice cook on a medium-high flame.
8. Reduce the heat to low once the water starts boiling, and cook the rice for 40 to 45 minutes.
9. Turn off the stove when the rice grains look tender and fluffy.
5. Try Toasted Sesame Seeds and Salt (Gomasio)
I have loved watching videos and reading about Japanese cuisine for a while, so I stumbled across gomasio, or “sesame salt.”
Gomasio is a Japanese seasoning consisting of toasted sesame seeds and salt. One day, I made this seasoning for a noodle soup and also used it with brown rice.
The results were pleasantly surprising because gomasio introduced a hint of smokiness and nuttiness to the brown rice.
All you need to do for Japanese-style brown rice is:
1. Toast one cup of sesame seeds over medium heat in a frying pan or skillet.
2. Turn off the stove once the seeds look golden brown after five minutes.
3. Transfer the toasted sesame seeds to a grinder, and add one teaspoon of salt.
4. Grind the mixture until it turns into a fine powder.
5. Add one to two teaspoons of gomasio while boiling your brown rice.
You can use any type of sesame seeds for the gomasio mix. I have used white, but the best option is a mix of white and black sesame seeds.
There is an amazing YouTube video for gomasio that you can watch!
6. Stir-fry the Rice (Fried Brown Rice)
Stir-frying brown rice turns a basic dish into a fancy one with umami and charred flavors. It also provides you with a healthy dose of greens.
I prefer this method when I have some extra time to spare, as chopping vegetables is time-consuming. However, it is super easy once you have the ingredients.
1. Take a wok or a cooking pot.
2. Sauté three finely chopped garlic cloves in any neutral-flavored oil, like vegetable oil, over medium heat.
3. Add any vegetables you like to the cooking pot. I have used one diced bell pepper, two finely chopped green chilies, and one cup of thinly chopped cabbage.
4. Stir-fry the vegetables on high heat until they develop a slightly smoky fragrance. I also suggest letting them burn a bit for extra crispiness.
5. Sprinkle black pepper and salt as per your preferences.
6. Add one cup of refrigerated and cooked brown rice to the stir-fried vegetables. Fry everything quickly on high heat.
7. After stir-frying the vegetables and rice, add some sauces. I recommend adding one tablespoon of soy sauce and one tablespoon of vinegar. You can also add sesame oil, oyster sauce, or fish sauce.
8. Keep stirring and frying everything on high heat for five to ten minutes. Ensure that the rice doesn’t stick to the cooking pot.
9. Once the rice has a lovely burnt fragrance, transfer it to a bowl and enjoy!
7. Cheesy Brown Rice
Cheese can fix any bland dish just like butter and garlic. I suggest shredding some cheese on your cooked brown rice and letting it melt.
Trust me, cheese can soften the chewy texture of the grains and make them creamy. It can also add a distinct flavor based on its type.
Final Thoughts
The next time someone tells you that brown rice doesn’t taste good, make them try these methods.
Adding just a spoonful of butter or olive oil to brown rice can completely change its taste. Stir-frying with vegetables, Italian herbs, or spices can also make your brown rice taste much better.
It is up to you to decide what type of flavors you want in your brown rice and choose a method from this list accordingly!
