Comments on: Vermicelli and Rice

By: Rice A Roni | The Picky Vegan

Rice A Roni | The Picky Vegan — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 02:39:12 +0000

[...] the San Fransico treat! I used to love those commercials. I used this recipe as my starting point, but I added in some other grains: wild rice, millet, kasha and Israeli [...]

By: It’s all vegan, mon. « The Expanding Circle

It’s all vegan, mon. « The Expanding Circle — Thu, 06 May 2010 02:06:23 +0000

[...] Toni Fiore’s Totally Vegetarian TV Show. Both the Jamaican Jerk Tofu & Tempeh and the Toasted Celli Rice were from a recent [...]

By: Cher

Cher — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:53:30 +0000

I made this and I needed more liquid then what was stated. It was really good and even better when I used the leftovers in my meatless meatballs.

By: Chef

Chef — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:02:22 +0000

Thanks for your letter. With so many varieties available it can be a confusing issue. Here’s my take on white/converted rice. A whole grain of rice has several layers. Only the outermost layer, the hull, is removed to produce what we call brown rice. This process is the least damaging to the nutritional value of the rice and avoids the unnecessary loss of nutrients that occurs with further processing. If brown rice is further milled to remove the bran and most of the germ layer, the result is a whiter rice, but also a rice that has lost many more nutrients. At this point, however, the rice is still unpolished, and it takes polishing to produce the white rice we are used to seeing. Polishing removes the aleurone layer of the grain. That’s the layer filled with health-supportive, essential fats. Because these fats, once exposed to air by the refining process, they’re highly susceptible to oxidation so in producing white rice this layer is removed to extend the shelf life of the product. The resulting white rice is simply a refined starch that is largely bereft of its original nutrients. Now comes the processing technique called conversion that results in what we know as “converted rice”. This is produced by steaming the whole grain before milling, forcing some of the B vitamins to migrate from the outside layers into the starchy center of the rice (called the endosperm). This process leaves some B vitamins inside the converted rice even though the manufacturers remove the outside layers, but this version is still not your best choice. The most nutritious rice is always whole grain, minimally milled and unpolished (or semi-polished) with its outer layers intact. You want the rice bran and the rice germ when you consume rice. Parboiled and converted rice is slightly yellowish or beige in color and cooks more slowly than white rice. Many people prefer its fluffy, separated texture once cooked. Converted Rice is simply parboiled rice that has been further pre-cooked so that it doesn’t take as long to prepare. So while you are correct that converted rice is not completely devoid of nutrients, it is a processed product. Most food ranking systems qualify brown rice as an excellent source of manganese, and a good source of the minerals selenium and magnesium. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. By law in the United States, fully milled and polished white rice must be “enriched” with vitamins B1, B3, and iron. But the form of these nutrients when added back into the processed rice is not the same as in the original unprocessed version, and at least 11 lost nutrients are not replaced in any form even with rice enrichment.

By: Gene

Gene — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 13:26:20 +0000

I was watching a rerun of this show when you made a statement that you do not use converted rice because it is parboiled and has zero nutritional value. You should check your nutrition facts before you make such a statement. In reality, converted rice is pressure cooked in its husk, and has more minerals and vitamins than the same rice which has been husked and polished. The pressure boiling pushes nutrients such as thiamine from the bran layer into the rice, and the cooking process seals the nutrients inside the cooked-starch outer layer of the rice. So, from a nutrional standpoint, white converted rice is equivalent to brown rice.

By: sandra

sandra — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:31:57 +0000

This is great simple pilaf recipe. I added a couple of hands of golden raisins, turned out yummy.

By: Chef

Chef — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 02:54:43 +0000

Hi Trina, I haven’t done it but I imagine you can. The idea is to add more flavor, and that should work. If you have veggie cubes, just crush them into a powder, it’s really basically all the powder is. Let me know how whatever you decided to do works for you. These tips and try outs are always helpful!

By: Chef

Chef — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 02:52:37 +0000

Thank you Dee for your kind comments! We hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the season.

By: Trina

Trina — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 17:18:57 +0000

Hi,

I was wondering, if I do not have any boullion powder, can i substitute vegetable broth for the water?

By: Dee

Dee — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 17:08:36 +0000

Hi Toni,

Great recipe, as usual!

I became a vegetarian almost 4 years ago, and it was tough going at first, but with quite a bit of help from you, I am eating healthier and tastier than ever before!

Dee