Thai Jasmine Brown Rice

[yoslim]

I bought a pack in BigC the other day and it is really delicious, tastes 1000x better than the brown rice I would find back home.. I wonder why all thais only eat white rice when the brown rice tastes so good ?

[Wavefloater]

I also bought some brown rice from BigC recently and was impressed with its quality and taste. The 5-kg. bag I got from Makro the week before ended up in the trash due to a horrible moldy smell and taste. (Was that due to being stored too long in one the controversial over-priced stockpiles?) BigC seems to have surprisingly decent selection of brown rice. Anyway, it's all I eat unless not available.

From what I understand it's a status sort of thing. Brown rice is deemed as poverty and prison food by many Thais. However, the realization that white rice is actually pretty bad stuff to eat and has very little nutritional value seems to be catching on with the more affluent in Thailand, and some of the ones I work with have started eating it regularly at work. That was after many of the Western staff were seen always eating it, so either they're just copying or they now know it's a much healthier choice.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Wavefloater

[boosta]

AT the small shophouse rice merchants that scoop out your purchase for you to be weighed, you can examine your purchase - feel and smell the rice itself before paying for it.

Plus you're helping keep independent retailing alive without hurting your own pocketbook, usually just as cheap as the big-box stores or at least within a few baht.

[Jasun]

Got my vote, the 'hom mali' brown rice in Thailand is delicious. We always keep a batch going in the big rice steamer. Breakfast, lunch and dinner - so much better for you than the white stuff.

[Wavefloater]

AT the small shophouse rice merchants that scoop out your purchase for you to be weighed, you can examine your purchase - feel and smell the rice itself before paying for it.

Plus you're helping keep independent retailing alive without hurting your own pocketbook, usually just as cheap as the big-box stores or at least within a few baht.

I love the idea of supporting the small independent business people, but I just can't bring myself to buy from these open bulk bags. I won't get into my reasons and affect the way other people feel about buying from open bags, but I don't think it takes much imagination to know my concerns.

[boosta]

Consumer lab testing would probably show little difference, the small shops have pretty fast turnover.

And even if you're right, you're denying your autoimmune system a valuable opportunity to strengthen its defenses.

Do you avoid street food for the same reason? Shaking hands and kissing strangers?

If so, your loss, spend your life avoiding risk you lose the best life has to offer.

[Wavefloater]

Consumer lab testing would probably show little difference, the small shops have pretty fast turnover.

And even if you're right, you're denying your autoimmune system a valuable opportunity to strengthen its defenses.

Do you avoid street food for the same reason? Shaking hands and kissing strangers?

If so, your loss, spend your life avoiding risk you lose the best life has to offer.

I realize that you're likely right about being Ok and lab testing, etc., but I just can't seem to buy it. Maybe some day.

As for street food, gotta admit that I don't eat it much, but that probably has as much or more to do with ancient-looking black cooking oil and uncertainty about how old or fresh the food is. Besides, a lot of it just doesn't appeal to me -- processed and greasy crap for the most part.

I don't kiss many strangers -- that seems a little strange to me. (Old-fashioned, I guess) But I'm certainly not a Howard Hughes germaphobe (actually, I just learned that the more technical term is "mysophobic') type, nor am I autistic. Normal human interaction and contact doesn't bother me at all, but thanks for being concerned that I'm missing out on life.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Wavefloater

[Kitsune]

From Tesco ? right I give it a try

Im the opposite I know all about the goodness of brown rice but don't find it so tasty

[Ulysses G.]

There are tons of vegetarian restaurants all over Thailand that mostly use brown rice. It is not some new fashion that Westerners brought to Thailand.

[Kitsune]

There are tons of vegetarian restaurants all over Thailand that mostly use brown rice. It is not some new fashion that Westerners brought to Thailand.

yes but the rice is yucky hard to find nice rice

[David48]

I bought a pack in BigC the other day and it is really delicious, tastes 1000x better than the brown rice I would find back home.. I wonder why all thais only eat white rice when the brown rice tastes so good ?

How do you cook it in the rice cookers, given that it takes longer to cook?

[Kitsune]

I bought a pack in BigC the other day and it is really delicious, tastes 1000x better than the brown rice I would find back home.. I wonder why all thais only eat white rice when the brown rice tastes so good ?

How do you cook it in the rice cookers, given that it takes longer to cook?

get a modern rice cooker with a brown rice button !

Edited June 15, 2013 by Kitsune

[David48]

I bought a pack in BigC the other day and it is really delicious, tastes 1000x better than the brown rice I would find back home.. I wonder why all thais only eat white rice when the brown rice tastes so good ?

How do you cook it in the rice cookers, given that it takes longer to cook?

get a modern rice cooker with a brown rice button !

come on now ... you are pulling my chain ...

show me a photo from a catalogue ... and I'm a believer!

.

[Kitsune]

I bought a pack in BigC the other day and it is really delicious, tastes 1000x better than the brown rice I would find back home.. I wonder why all thais only eat white rice when the brown rice tastes so good ?

How do you cook it in the rice cookers, given that it takes longer to cook?

get a modern rice cooker with a brown rice button !

come on now ... you are pulling my chain ...

show me a photo from a catalogue ... and I'm a believer!

.

[jbrain]

I bought a pack in BigC the other day and it is really delicious, tastes 1000x better than the brown rice I would find back home.. I wonder why all thais only eat white rice when the brown rice tastes so good ?

How do you cook it in the rice cookers, given that it takes longer to cook?

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-brown-rice-113856

[David48]

Have to say ... a warm thanks to the posters above ... ... I never knew this option existed.

The Farm Mother has diabetes ... though I don't know if the switch from white to brown would be beneficial .. nor possible given the deeply rooted Thai Culture, combined with the fact that she cooks for the entire Family ... such is life on the Farm.

That said, the gf is on board after testing and accepting Brown Rice.

You learn something new every day ...

.

[Kitsune]

Have to say ... a warm thanks to the posters above ... ... I never knew this option existed.

The Farm Mother has diabetes ... though I don't know if the switch from white to brown would be beneficial .. nor possible given the deeply rooted Thai Culture, combined with the fact that she cooks for the entire Family ... such is life on the Farm.

That said, the gf is on board after testing and accepting Brown Rice.

You learn something new every day ...

.

yes and it's only 1300thb I love my panasonic rice cooker !

[smilingbuddah]

I am a diabetic as well and will be trying the brown rice when we arrive toThailand in August.

Although I have never been too fond of the Brown rice here in Canada.

Basmati rice is also lower on the Glycemic Index compared to White Jasmine rice so that is another option if you are diabetic.

S.B.

[grin]

For a long time I was the only one in my wife's extended family that ate brown rice. Now even my wife's mother eats brown rice. I especially like the jasmine bown rice,

Two things that I have learned:

Brown rice does not keep as long as white rice. Check the date on the bag before you buy it. If it is 6 months old it may already be going bad. I usually don't buy it if it is over 3 months old.

You don't need a special rice cooker for brown rice. Just experiment by putting either less rice or more water until it comes out the way you like it.

Grin

Edited June 16, 2013 by grin

[boosta]

Yes, removing the healthy parts of grains was the first step to cities-based modern civilization allowing people to be disconnected from the source of their food.

As a general rule, the longer a shelf life a given food has the less healthy for your body.

[Eesat]

I am a diabetic as well and will be trying the brown rice when we arrive toThailand in August.

Although I have never been too fond of the Brown rice here in Canada.

Basmati rice is also lower on the Glycemic Index compared to White Jasmine rice so that is another option if you are diabetic.

S.B.

Now that's what I'm talking about,being a Brit no weekend shall pass without a good old home made Chicken Vindaloo being cooked!

Now Thai chillies come in VERY handy for this to add that fire on your lips for when that first ice-cold beer is called in to do battle with them!

As for white Thai Jasmine tasteless gloop,tried it once and doesn't even come close to the King Of Rice,Basmati,I might try brown if desperate though?On another note,I always get very strange looks from the Thais when buying 5kg bags of Basmati,as if to say "Alay Wa?"!

[stickylies]

I bought a pack in BigC the other day and it is really delicious, tastes 1000x better than the brown rice I would find back home.. I wonder why all thais only eat white rice when the brown rice tastes so good ?

because white rice is much MUCH more cheaper. i only eat brown/red/black rice (mostly a mixture of all 3) at home and agree in full: not only it tastes much better, it IS much better. white rice is fine if you're a farmer working in the fields for 9 hours a day but it's crap for the rest of us. compare it with Italy where 95% eats white pasta (cheap) and not its brown variant. or white bread versus whole grain bread.

[stickylies]

ps. don't worry about germs (from the open bags) !! rice gets cooked or steamed so all bacteria die anyway. regarding cooking times, i never watch that. just put it in the electric cooker, 1 dose of rice VS 2 doses of water and when the water is as good as gone, the rice is good to eat. u can even reheat it in steamer, still very tasty!

[David48]

Since we have a collection of Rice fans ...

When I was in Chiang Mai ... I was the honoured guest and they served a 'purple' rice ... which, I have to say, I found quite tasty.

Forgot to ask the Thai gf about it.

Any history or story about the purple rice?

.

[Wavefloater]

Since we have a collection of Rice fans ...

When I was in Chiang Mai ... I was the honoured guest and they served a 'purple' rice ... which, I have to say, I found quite tasty.

Forgot to ask the Thai gf about it.

Any history or story about the purple rice?

.

I've certainly seen purple rice available. keep looking -- it's out there.

As for cooking, I've got a cheapie rice cooker (Swiss brand) with no cooking options, and brown rice comes out fine in it. I put a fair bit in the cooker and add water until it's above the rice to the first joint of my index finger -- works like a charm to give me nice fluffy brown rice every time.

[boosta]

I wonder why all thais only eat white rice when the brown rice tastes so good ?

because white rice is much MUCH more cheaper.

-

No, it's cheaper because that's what all the Thais buy.

Historically just like grain the good stuff gets removed to allow for shelf life.

That's the ancient tradition. And as we all know especially in this part of the world, such traditions are slow to change.

Short answer "because that's the way it's done here".