Food - Drink
What Exactly Is Parboiled Rice And Why Should You Be Cooking With It?
By SANDY BAKER
Parboiled rice is not the same as pre-cooked rice, but it is processed differently than traditional, raw white or brown rice, and offers some time-saving and nutritional benefits.
With standard rice, processors remove the inedible hull, or sheath-like covering, from the exterior of each grain, but parboiled rice is processed with the hulls intact.
The grains get soaked, steamed, and dried thoroughly before the producer removes the hulls, resulting in parboiled rice. This product must still be cooked before consumption.
One of the biggest benefits is that the parboiled rice doesn’t take as long to cook. Parboiling also improves the rice's texture and creates an appealing soft yellow hue.
Parboiled rice also has a low glycemic index, so it doesn’t cause large spikes in blood sugar like white rice does. A cup of this rice has a gram of fiber and 5 grams of protein.
Parboiled rice has higher amounts of calcium and iron than traditionally prepared long grain white rice. This rice is also rich in niacin, B-6, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.
Parboiled rice can be cooked in a standard rice cooker or a stovetop pan with a lid. Different brands may require different cooking times, so be sure to follow the directions.
Parboiled rice can be used in place of standard white rice in main dishes like fried rice and paella, sides, casseroles, and soups. It's also great cooked simply with a few spices.