Brown rice pilaf.

I don’t consider myself a healthy eater per se, since I tend to choose foods for taste first rather than nutritional benefits. One exception to that rule is rice – I’ve switched almost completely* from white rice to brown. White rice packs very little nutritional punch, while brown rice has fiber and nutrients that are removed with the outer husk, although for a whole grain it’s still on the light side nutritionally. (Barley, which can be roughly substituted in almost any rice recipe as long as you increase the liquid content, is significantly better for you, but in my opinion doesn’t play quite as nicely with other ingredients in a pilaf.)

*The exception to the exception here is in risotto, which must be made with white rice. Most risotto recipes call for arborio rice, although I’ve had excellent results with carnaroli, a slightly more expensive variety that I think produces a creamier finished product. If there is such a thing as brown arborio rice, I haven’t seen it, and I’d rather not know about it.

The rule of thumb for brown rice is that there is no rule of thumb, really. Rice is idiosyncratic, and each variety has to be treated differently. I work primarily with two varieties: long-grain American, and short-grain. (Short-grain is sometimes labelled “sushi rice,” although they’re not the same thing, and supposedly the Japanese hoard all the real sushi rice for themselves, just like they buy up the world’s best coffee and control the world banking market. Or maybe I’m confusing my conspiracy theories again.) Long-grain American brown rice (“LGA”) requires two parts liquid to one part rice; short-grain requires only about 1.5 parts liquid to 1 part rice. LGA has an earthier flavor; short-grain is “sweeter,” although it’s not higher in sugar. LGA is ideal for under-dishes – the rice you serve under gumbo or red beans. It also works well in soups, although I always cook the rice separately from the soup and add it at the end so that I have more control over how much liquid is in the finished product. For pilaf, however, I prefer short-grain.

Cooking brown rice on the stovetop* is simple, but brown rice pilaf is only a little more time-consuming, and if you know how to dice an onion, you have the requisite skills.

*We got a rice steamer as a wedding gift and gave it away when we moved to Pittsburgh two years later and were trying to reduce how much crap we were toting to a small apartment with a tiny basement storage space. Therefore, I’ve been steamer-less for over a decade and am not sure that I’ll switch. Besides, I like pilaf, and you can’t make that in a rice steamer.

Brown rice pilaf with shiitake mushrooms

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small/medium onion, diced
1/2 poblano pepper, minced*
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, washed, stems removed, sliced into 1/4″ strips
1 cup short-grain brown rice
1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup toasted pecans (optional)

*Poblanos aren’t that hot to begin with and the cooking process will eliminate much of what’s left, leaving you lots of flavor without a kick. If you want a moderate kick, feel free to substitute 3 habaneros, seeds included.

1. Heat the oil and butter together in a medium saucepan until the butter starts foaming. Add the onion and pepper and a pinch of salt and sweat until translucent, 5-7 minutes.
2. Add the mushrooms and raise the heat slightly, cooking until they have released their liquid and the bottom of the pan has only fat and not water.
3. Add the garlic and saute for one minute until the garlic is fragrant.
4. Add the rice and stir on and off for three minutes to toast the rice and coat it with a small layer of fat. If your pan is dry after the last step, add a teaspoon or two of additional fat and wait for it to heat up before adding the rice. This is a good time to pop the chicken broth in the microwave for two minutes so that it’s hot when you add it to the pan.
5. Add the chicken broth to the saucepan and stir once to make sure all ingredients are submerged in the liquid. Add salt and pepper to taste – 1/2 tsp of salt is a good start; stir it to dissolve and taste the liquid to adjust.
6. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce to a mild simmer, and cook covered on medium-low heat for 40-45 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. You can also finish it for the same amount of time in a 350 degree oven.
7. Let the rice sit for ten minutes off heat before uncovering. Add the thyme and pecans if desired and stir to fluff.

Substitutions: You can make the same dish with LGA brown rice or pearled barley by increasing the liquid to two cups for LGA and two to two and a half cups for pearled barley.

The basic formula here is 2 Tbsp fat, sweat the onions, toast the rice, add liquid, boil-cover-simmer, let rest, fluff. It’s extensible; for example, you can also add more mushrooms of any variety, but should add at least a teaspoon of fat for every additional handful of fungus. You can add peas, dried fruit, different nuts (walnuts are also popular) or herbs, or other vegetables, but when to add them is the key – anything you add at the beginning is going to cook in liquid for 40-45 minute and could become soggy. Some vegetables, like bell peppers or asparagus, are better cooked separately in a sauté pan or skillet and added after the rice is cooked.

Comments

  1. I have substituted white rice with brown rice(I am Korean, so rice is my staple sometimes all three meals for a day) for last couple years, and I think you may be able to use ‘sweet brown rice’ from asian grocery to make creamy risotto with brown rice. Sweet rice is stickier than ordinary short to medium grain rice, whether it is white or brown. I cannot eat white rice anymore since I feel the texture is too slippery after eating brown rice for about five years now.

  2. Not to give you a hard time or anything Keith, but should the vegetarian tag be used on a recipe featuring chicken broth?

    Okay, maybe a bit to give you a hard time.

  3. You da man, KLaw. I appreciate this. If possible, I would love to see other notes about healthier alternatives/substitutes. Not necessarily health-food, but simple ways to add a bit more nutrition to still-tasty meals. Perhaps not your forte, but I’m hopeful…

    Thanks again.

  4. I plan on giving this one a shot. I am a sucker for brown rice – I legitimately think it tastes better than that of the white variety, and always have.

  5. If a vegetarian can’t figure out to substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth, s/he is too stupid to read this site and will have to leave immediately.

  6. I’ve never been a fan of brown rice, myself. It is better than crappy white rice, but it’s nowhere near as good as Basmati or Jasmine rice in my opinion.

  7. Keith, just a quick note on Arborio vs. Carnaroli rice. You are right that Carnaroli produces a creamier consistency – this is because it has a higher starch content than Arborio.

    Carnaroli rice is tradtionally used for seafood risotto, as during the mantecatura (final step where cheese and fat is added off the heat), cheese is not used for seafood risotto. The more natural creamy consistency of the Carnaroli rice helps compensate for this.

  8. I agree that the brown rice substitution is good for just about anything, except sushi. Seems to be the big fad, but I think it takes away from the taste. It also messes with the consistency. We get enough B vitamins, iron, and fiber(which is pumped into everything these days) to not have to worry about it in our sushi rice.

  9. Adam: Thanks for the info (and for catching my typo). I think I read that Mario Batali uses carnaroli for all risottos, although it was years ago and I could be, um, misremembering that.

    bluexmas: I don’t believe that brown rice can slough off the starch required for a proper risotto; the creaminess of a risotto comes from starch that is slowly leached from the rice grains during the slow cooking process. You can make a fake risotto using brown rice or any other grain (like barley), but you’ll have to increase the amount of fat/cheese added at the end to create the proper consistency. It can be quite good – I’ve made it with pearled barley – but it’s a “frisotto,” not quite the real thing.

  10. Connecticut Mike

    Possibly an uninformed question, but are the Japanese really known for hoarding the world’s best coffee, or is that some sort of insider coffee myth/joke of which I am unaware?

    I did some googling before asking the question and saw that Japan is indeed one of the world’s biggest importers of coffee, but couldn’t find much about them dominating the world coffee markets or anything.

    Like Sam Jackson, I am usually happy with some freeze-dried Taster’s Choice, so my knowledge of gourmet coffee is sadly lacking.

  11. @ Connecticut Mike
    I work in the high end coffee business and can promise you Japan does not hoard high end coffee…the C market or Coffee market is just that – a market. If you’re interested in high end coffee start wtih Starbucks. Perhaps heresy to some but it is always a good cup of coffee. A lot of people dislike Starbucks saying it’s too roasty or “charbucky” which is fair but it really is the standard of good coffee. Their beans are always high grown arabica which you are essentially looking for. If you want to branch out you can start to compare and contrast various micro-roasters to the giants (Starbucks, Petes, the NE you see Green Mountain a lot). Most giants are reputable coffee dealers. Avoid Dunkin as that’s really awful coffee and I cannot figure out why they are at all popular. You might consider finding what you like in coffee, and if you’re doing Tasters Choice that’s likely a Brazilian bean and you might consider staying in South America with your high end choice. A good objective test is to compare a coffee of origin from two different companies. The origin will have a simliar flavor (for instance Colombian coffees often have high acidity with a no heavy mouth feel and depending on region in Colombian nuts or berries flavor characteristics) and then the difference will be in roasting style. Starbucks is darker, Petes is very dark, and Green Mountain is very light. Regional roasters are all over the map. I generally prefer a European Roast which is sort of a medium roast which can be prepared easily as espresso.
    As a point of departure, sometimes local roasters are really good or bad. But they do have the advantage of being small so they often can buy something really unique that a large company cannot. If a c-farm has produced something really outstanding, sometimes they will only have x amount. If that doesn’t satisfy the giants based on shear volume, they’ll pass it up, so the micros have a shot at it. Sometimes you can find really neat gems.
    Hope that helps and good luck with your coffee experience.

  12. brian-

    I can’t get enough of you apparently. Nice use of “mouth feel”. After reading that one of the Sam Adams seasonals had “superior mouth feel”, I had to suddenly find a qualitative way to compare this to Budweiser’s “superior drinkability”. Ha!

  13. I can’t agree on Starbucks being a good cup of coffee. The coffee is usually three weeks past the roast date by the time they brew it for coffee or espresso, and the staleness shows in both types of beverages. Their drip coffee lacks body and character, both of which are lost in the absurdly long time between roast and brew.

  14. Connecticut Mike, If you’re ever in NYC, stop in at Porto Rico at Bleecker St. and Sixth Ave. I’ve enjoyed the beans I’ve got from them, and the price is very reasonable, especially for Manhattan.

    Keith, fair enough. Though I personally question the intelligence of vegetarians on principle.

  15. Starbucks doesn’t need an apologist however…
    I’ve never heard anyone complain that starbucks lacks body. I’d encourage you to try an origin coffee (Sumatra, Colombia, etc.) from Starbucks versus an origin from company X and come back with the body complaint.

    I’d also follow up by saying you have a fundamental misunderstanding of how coffee works. The high end coffee market exploded because of a one way valve which allowed coffee to remain fresh longer than 7 days. Coffee becomes stale when it is exposed to air, light, heat, water or the profile is changed when exposed to strong smells. Current packaging of coffee allows for freshness months past roast date. That fresh roasted is certainly a nice perk but adds zero value to the overall quality of coffee these days.

    As someone who has tried approx 2 gazillion cups of coffee in his life, if you can tell the difference between coffee that is fresh roasted, and coffee that has been packaged properly then you are in the wrong business. You palate is so good you should be using that gift to bring joy to the world.

    I should ask though Keith, have you ever been in a cupping? Just out of curiosity, where and what did you think?

  16. Not only can I tell the difference, I’ve shifted my buying pattern to reflect it. I’ve written before that you can’t make a decent espresso with beans that are more than a few days old, regardless of how they were packaged. Those valves are of moderate utility at best; beans don’t just lose CO2 after roasting, but their flavor changes (often for the worse) as they age. And, of course, if there’s ANY air left inside the bag, the coffee will oxidize and go stale even faster.

    If you can’t tell the difference between coffee brewed with beans roasted this morning and coffee brewed with beans roasted a month ago and stored in a vacuum-sealed package with a CO2-release valve, I question your palate.

    I have never been in a cupping because, unfortunately, I have all but given up drip coffee because my stomach can’t take it. I’ve switched to espresso which, as I said above, just can’t be made with stale beans. Even five days after roasting, sealed in an airtight mason jar, the beans will produce less crema and substantially thinner espresso with a harsher flavor.

  17. I do not have a great palate. I rely on people who do. If your palate is that discerning why are you working for ESPN?

    I would point out that most packaging removes air, allowing the beans to degas. Any time you see a fluffy bag usually it hasn’t been handled a lot. When you handle a bag the valve works to release the CO2. I assume most reputable companies test their bags on a regular basis to ensure of this fact.

    These little valves of “moderate utility” esentially allowed coffee to move away from a boutique operation to a global phenomenon. They are the crux of the movement that launched this coffee empire. It allowed companies to place coffee in locations it never could due to freshness issues. Fact is: Starbucks is the industry standard and a easily accessable entry point for someone interested in the high end market. Their beans are high end, their care is top notch, but their roast is indeed too long. But freshness should not be in the conversation. Lets not make good the enemy of perfect. I would not be employed in what I do if it wasn’t for Starbucks…they are not an evil company nor do they product a bad product.

    Aren’t mason jars clear? Switch to a container that shields light or keep it in a dark cool location. Usually with cuppings you spit the coffee as you can end up trying up to 100 coffees and that much coffee makes anyone crazy! Lastly, I think the best test for any coffee is espresso. Any sharp edges or flaws in the coffee will become critical once brewer properly with espresso.

    I would question whether you’ve had good shots of espresso in your life as getting esprsso with fresh coffee is going to be rare unless you’re doing it at home. Espresso has a small dose combined with the smallest batches being 5 pounds essentially requires the shop to be exceptionally busy to go through that volume within your required time period.

  18. Connecticut Mike

    @Brian

    Thanks for the info. That is all fairly interesting stuff. I am probably not discerning enough to really know the difference between good coffee and bad, seeing as how I always thought Dunkin Donuts was pretty decent. Maybe it is just a regional bias or that I always enjoyed the “time to make the donuts” mustache guy when I was a kid.

    Do real coffee connoisseurs look down upon iced-coffee? I would wager a guess that coffee is more flavorful when hot, but I dislike hot beverages and tend to drink it cold even during the winter.

  19. perhaps I’m unfair to dd but I’ve only had it maybe 10 times and always an awful experience with their coffee. iced coffee is a great way to try coffee. in a tasting you try coffee hot, then let it cool and try it again as the coffee nuance will change. some coffees are boring hot and great iced. generally an african origin coffee has great appeal as an iced coffee. that’s not a hard rule though.

  20. I don’t drink coffee, but this conversation has me interested. My question has to do with how much of the ultimate product is based on the bean itself and how much on the production, storage, etc?

  21. Think of it this way, if you’re going to buy a high end piece of meat, would you buy a flank or would you buy the filet? Both are adequate but one is far superior. If you start with a better steak you’ll get a better product in the end. Same with beans.

    Then you have roast. An easy analogy is to compare roast to a steak. Some like it rare, some like it medium and some like it well. People will have varying likes and dislikes and there is no wrong answer other than preference.

    You’ll want to keep your beans in a cool dry location away from light (like in a pantry). Always better to buy in small batches and use quickly than to buy in bulk and use slow. Again though that’s a preference thing and certainly cost has a factor in this – high end coffee isn’t cheap. Usually around 10$ per pound give or take depending on roaster.

    The actual brewing is again a preference: espresso, press, Malita, drip, turkish, cowboy etc. Each style of brew will produce various kinds brewed coffee and some kinds of coffee go better with others. You want to make sure your water is good, and your amount of coffee is right and those basic items. Depending on method it comes down to trail and error. Essentially it is a personal preference on how you like it – or in your case, if you like it at all!

    Distinguishing good vs bad coffee has become tricky as there is zero standard in the business. Even classificiations of beans between growing region (Kenya Vs Ethiopia) is different. I always recommend Starbucks not because I like it but because it’s readily available and always a good bean. It would be considered “well done” on the roast scale. A lot of people dislike that roast profile myself included. With that being said there’s lots of good coffee readily available: Petes, Seattle’s Best, Green Mountain, Tully’s, Pura Vida etc.

  22. brian, I use a Gaggia Carezza at home and only purchase beans roasted within the last day. I keep the coffee jars in a cool, dark place, and I grind right before brewing. I’ve poured shots out because they didn’t meet my standards.

    If your palate is that discerning why are you working for ESPN?

    I’ve never said my palate was discerning; I’ve said I can tell stale from fresh, particularly in espresso. Month-old coffee makes mediocre drip. I doubt this observation makes me remotely unique. That said, it is certainly more lucrative to be a baseball writer than a coffee taster.

    I do not believe Starbucks is evil at all – I’ve always thought the demonization of corporations to be the work of small minds. Corporations are legal structures; the people who run them and make or approve their decisions should be your targets if you disapprove of said decisions. And Starbucks has put out some products that I like, such as Marcus Samuelsson’s chocolate cinnamon bread (introducing me to his work, which led to a great meal at Aquavit NYC during Restaurant Week) or their green tea soy lattes (no syrup). But the coffee? It’s a great headache remedy, but that’s about it. I’ve tried several of their varietals, as well as their blends – you all know how I feel about the swill they sell as Pike Place – and I haven’t found anything I’d grade above average. Peet’s destroys them, and of course, Peet’s roasts their beans (I think) twice a week.

  23. We’re having a regular coffee smackdown here! And I’m just happy to watch. I wish I could contribute, but like I said, I don’t drink the stuff. Thanks for the lesson, brian. I hear a lot of people talk about coffee, but so much of it is contradictory it seems like most of what they are saying is BS they don’t really understand. This conversation has been enlightening.

    Now, what say you on hot chocolate? That is my hotbev of choice.

  24. I have three hot chocolate/cocoa recipes that I keep meaning to turn into a post but for whatever reason never have. I guess I need to get on that.

  25. I think we’re missing one another here: I am simply saying that a bag with a one way valve in it will produce fresh coffee once opened – a month after roast or two months after roast. Once that bag is opened then it is subjected to the same elements as fresh roasted coffee and degrades pretty quickly. If you’re willing to say you can tell the difference between coffee x when it is fresh roasted versus when it is packaged in a one way valve and drank a month later, color me skeptical. At that point I’d say your palate is very good, or your psychosomatic powers are heavily involved.

    In regards to Starbucks versus Peets, that’s subjective and of course your opinion. All I’m suggesting is that Starbucks is a good place to start a high end coffee exploration. It is of high quality, ubiquitous, and many people are knowledgeable about their coffee. If you’re going to say their coffee beans are bad, or something like that then we’d be in disagreement.

    Most commercial espresso machines work the same way. There are about 1 zillion different makers of espresso machines, and they are all about the same. The difference is in the quality of parts which can vary the cost. Home machines are really hit or miss as some can be elaborate drip systems and some are genuine espresso machines with an actual boiler.

    I should confess I only drink coffee professionally and don’t own a coffee machine of any kind. Guests who come here are always pissed to find this out but we make it work with a malita or press. I’m going to assume the machine you have based on googled price is a nice unit but I’d defer to you on that as I’m useless when it comes to home units.

    BSK – it is a total cluster trying to figure out what’s good versus what’s bad. Mostly it comes down to what you like, Folgers or Maxwell or Dunkin. No one can say what you like is wrong.

  26. I did a fair amount of research before buying the Carezza. It was at the time the least expensive true espresso machine (i.e., has its own boiler, uses pressure rather than steam) available in the U.S. It bounces back pretty quickly for espresso, but steaming more than about 1/2-3/4 cup of milk takes forever. For a macchiatto, which is how I like my espresso, it’s perfect.

  27. interestingly enough, there is a huge market for used commercial espresso equipment. I have a friend who owns an coffee equipment company (he sells and buys ANYTHING related to coffee) and he was saying that used espresso equipment has been going into private homes. I think that’s astonishing that A. People have this disposable income B. They care enough about their coffee to have a high end espresso machine.

    I only bring this up in that your choice of beverage is very sophisticated and if you told me that on the street I’d raise my eye brows and smile and think that’s wonderful. A lot of people enjoy a more milky beverage (Latte, Cap, etc) and often in large quantities (36 oz or more!) and the home units have the issue you point out, the pressure is a bummer and forget trying to steam and pull a shot at the same time. Hence, commercial equipment in people’s homes!

  28. Keith-

    I had a little trouble with this recipe. First, while cooking the mushrooms, a lot of the onions burned. Were these supposed to be removed?
    Secondly, there didn’t seem to be enough liquid. The 1 1/2 cups broth barely covered all the ingredients, and when it finally was absorbed, I had to add more water for all the rice to fully cook. Any tips?

    I didn’t use brown rice; could this be the problem?

  29. BSK: Your heat was too high. That would create both problems you cited.

    Also, cooking time for white rice is 14-15 minutes after the liquid is added. The shape of the rice affects the liquid/rice ratio.