What distinguishes steamed rice from the usual?

Rice is one of the most popular cereal crops in the world. It is part of many famous dishes: cereals, soups, side dishes, casseroles, puddings. Total and not to list.This product is shown to all age categories: adults and children from six months, the elderly and observant therapeutic diet, losing weight and simply adhering to the principles of healthy eating. This product is affordable, and you can buy it in any store - from huge supermarkets to unsightly food stalls. That's just what to take: ordinary or steamed? What is the difference and is there anyway? What contains wholesome steamed and ordinary rice? So, let's understand.

On the shelves of the store to distinguish steamed rice from the usual simple

• Read the label on the package. The manufacturer must indicate that the product is steamed, if any.
• Regular rice will cost less steamed. But the price difference is not so great.
• White non-steamed product. The second is transparent, with a yellowish, almost amber shade.

Both types of products have one source product - rice. That's just the technology of processing the grains after the harvest is completely different, hence the difference.

• Normal is initially coated with a membranous coat (as with any cereal crop). As you know, the shell protects the grain from external influences, but in the process of preparing for use it is simply removed. This is done very simply - the rice is polished. At the same time, the product not only loses its shell, but also inevitably loses the valuable nutrients that we could get from this product. It was the loss of vitamins and minerals in the process of processing that worried the minds of scientists for more than one decade. How to avoid it? And the answer was found.
• Parboiled rice is treated very differently. Before removing the shell of rice soaked with water. After that, it is treated with steam at high pressure. At this time, the nutrients shell "redirects" into the grain. This destroys the starch, which is part of the product. The grain becomes more dense, transparent and gets its famous yellowish tint. Samples that are removed from the finished product show that the steamed product retains more than 85% of the nutrients that ordinary rice loses during grinding. In addition, such a product in the cooking process is not boiled soft as usual, but remains crumbly, which is very important for the preparation of many dishes.

As you can see, rice is still rice. And no one adds to it any foreign substances. Which means both kinds are helpful. But what more, we learn further.

Everyone knows that the product that contains more nutrients, vitamins and minerals is more beneficial. As mentioned earlier, the steamed product retains more useful than the unprocessed product. It is worth noting that no type of rice contains gluten. Gluten is a vegetable protein that is very poorly absorbed by the body and is found in many cereals. It adversely affects the human digestive system, causes allergic reactions.

But still about the benefits. Parboiled rice contains a large amount of monosaccharides, which are absorbed in small portions, and sugar is also absorbed gradually. This is especially useful for diabetics. Pectin helps to normalize the work of the intestines, reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood. In addition, it has proteins, lipids, a large amount of carbohydrates, which not only gives a lot of energy to the body, but also improves metabolic processes.

Rice contains a large amount of B vitamins (B1, B2, B5, B6, B9), which have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, regulate the nervous system, improve metabolism and absorption of amino acids.In addition to these, there are also vitamins E and PP, a large number of amino acids (lysine, cysteine, choline, lecithin) and trace elements: iodine, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, cobalt, selenium, phosphorus, sodium. All this makes rice a particularly useful product.

Any kind of rice is used as a staple on fasting days or during a diet for weight loss.

Regular polished rice is most often used for cereals and soups. When cooking these dishes you can not be afraid that it will boil soft. It is also ideal for sushi and rolls.

Steamed rice is easy to cook, if you respect proportional ratios. To boil one glass of such a product, you need to take twice as much water. It is suitable for cooking, for example, pilaf and other dishes, in which a crumbly product is needed. It is very convenient for side dishes for meat and fish dishes.

Of course, using both types of rice at once is not advisable. But if it was necessary, then add already washed steamed rice to the already boiling ordinary and cook it in salted water for about 20 minutes. Then turn off the heat and leave the product for 10 minutes in a saucepan, "wrapped" in a towel for further steaming. Steamed rice during this time will absorb excess moisture.

When buying products, we try to choose only the best and safest for our family. First of all, carefully consider the rice in the package. It should be no rice flour and excess impurities.

Beware of fakes. A poor quality product is made from pressed rice flour or starch. It is soft to the touch and crumbles when pressed. It looks matte, not brilliant. It is very different from certified products.

As for the price of different varieties of rice, it varies from 60 to 120 rubles. Shelf life from 12 months to one and a half years.

As you can see, the difference between the two types of rice, of course, is, but this does not mean that one is useful and the other is harmful. Each of them is good in its own way. For each dish, choose the original product, which is listed in the recipe and delight your loved ones with tasty and healthy rice dishes.

On how to cook rice, see below.