BROWN rice meals are displayed during the launching of the revival of brown rice consumption at the Kapihan sa Sulo in Quezon City recently.

IT may not be hyped as "super food"- not yet, anyway - but brown rice comes close to it for its many vitamins, nutrients, minerals and essential oils.

Rice and nutrition experts and scientists are one in extolling the greater benefits of the unpolished whole grain cereal than the more common white polished (or well-milled) rice.

According to them, brown rice has higher nutritional value because of increased amounts of fiber, thiamine, niacin, fat, phosphorous and iron. In addition, the bran left intact in brown rice contains other nutrients known to prevent a number of diseases, including heart ailments and cancer.

But all these have been forgotten, prompting the Asia Rice Foundation to launch recently a campaign to revive brown rice consumption among Filipinos and other rice-eaters of Asia.

Nutritional edge

The campaign centers on the nutritional edge of brown rice over milled rice. There are studies to prop up the value of this forgotten health food.

One such study was conducted by retired associate professor Angelita M. del Mundo and research associate Melani H. Narciso of the University of the Philippines Los Baños in College, Laguna.

Citing previous researches on brown rice, Del Mundo and Narciso found out that brown rice has "a definite nutritional edge over milled rice."

Proximate analysis conducted for cooked brown rice and white rice revealed that the former has 196 percent, 162.5 percent and 429.41 percent higher values than milled rice in terms of fiber, ash and fat, respectively. Energy and protein contents were also notably higher in brown rice.

In their study, the researchers pointed out that the bran retained in brown rice is packed with essential fatty acids, including the anti-oxidant gamma oryzanol and other nutrients and nutraceuticals.

The significant doses of B vitamins and potent anti-oxidants, like phytic acid or phytate found in brown rice also help fight heart disease and in impeding cancers as well, according to the study.

The fiber contents of brown rice also provides satiety or a feeling of fullness, useful in weight management.

For patients prone to kidney stones, the bran of brown rice was also observed to decrease urinary calcium.

But the more popular benefits derived from brown rice can be attributed to the bountiful nutrients in its bran which is said to help prevent beri-beri. In fact, in the early '50s, the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources campaigned for the utilization of rice bran to prevent beri-beri, then the No. 2 killer in the Philippines at the time. The popular tiki-tiki extract, a food supplement for infants, expectant and nursing mothers is made from rice bran, according to Del Mundo and Narciso.

Vanishing breed

But why has brown rice vanished and its present-day consumption negligible?

Dr. Emil Q. Javier, chair of the Asia Rice Foundation, says the introduction of modern milling machines that produce the white polished rice caused the death of brown rice. It shifted consumers' taste and preferences since white rice connotes a "classy" lifestyle, relegating brown rice to remote barrios where palay is still processed through hand-pounding using mortar and pestle or stone grinder.

With the current milling process, a lot of minerals, vitamins and some protein are lost, according to Javier.

"By omitting the polishing process, these nutrients can be saved, thereby helping improve the diet of people, particularly the poor who consume more rice than the rich," Javier added.

But what is brown rice? According to experts, it is paddy rice or palay that is produced by removing only the hull or husk, leaving most of the bran intact. The bran contains much of the minerals, vitamins and nutrients that are useful to the body.

At present, various rice varieties are being tested for brown rice production. But the most popular is the so-called pinawa, grown mostly in Laguna where initiatives began in the revival of brown rice consumption.

Below are some recipes kitchen-tested by Angelita del Mundo of UP Los Baños:

Brown Rice Champorado

1/3 c brown rice
3¼ c water
2 tbsp cocoa powder
¼ washed sugar ("D")
1 tbsp cornstarch
Evaporated milk

1. Soak brown rice in 1 c water for 1 hour.
2. Switch burner to medium heat 5 minutes before the end of 1-hour soaking.
3. Cook brown rice in medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add another cup of water and continue cooking for another 15 minutes with occasional stirring.
5. Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ c water and set aside.
6. Switch to high heat and add the last cup of water, stirring vigorously.
7. Add cocoa and sugar and cook for 10 minutes with constant stirring.
8. Put dissolved cornstarch into the mixture and stir constantly while cooking for additional 5 minutes.
9. Serve warm or cold with evaporated milk.

Preparation time: Approximately 50 minutes, excluding soaking time

Cost of ingredients per recipe: 10.65 pesos

Serving suggestions:

• May be served for breakfast and snack. For breakfast, champorado goes well with fried or roasted dried or smoked fish.
• Amount of evaporated milk is according to taste.
• Good for two persons.

Note: Cornstarch improves champorado's consistency.

Fried Brown Rice

1½ c leftover brown rice
1 tbsp carrot, diced
¼ cabbage, cut into strips
¼ leftover meat, diced
1 tsp cooking oil
¼ tsp ginisa mix
1 tsp iodized salt to taste

Cooking brown rice (if no leftover rice is available)

1. Measure 1 c of brown rice into cooking utensil. Brown rice may be cooked using a rice cooker or cast iron pot (LPG or electric burner).
2. Add 2 c water to the brown rice. Let stand for 30 minutes to soak.
3. If using rice cooker, leave the cooker undisturbed for 15 minutes.
4. If using a cast iron pot, turn knob to high setting. When steaming starts, turn knob to medium setting. When steaming stops, turn knob to low setting. Continue cooking for 20 minutes. For best results, leave the cooked rice undisturbed for 15 minutes.

Cooking of fried pinawa

1. Heat cooking oil in a skillet.
2. Stir fry meat, carrot and cabbage for 2 minutes.
3. Add ginisa mix and stir well.
4. Combine brown rice with the mixture and continue cooking for 5 minutes with constant stirring.
5. Place iodized salt and mix well.
6. Serve warm with your favorite viand and beverage.

Preparation time: Approximately 30 minutes

Cost of ingredients per recipe: 15 pesos

Serving suggestions:

• Beverage may be coffee, tea, or chocolate
• Best served for breakfast
• Good for three persons

Note:

• Proportion of brown rice to water is 1:2
  
• Soak brown rice for 30 min to allow the grains to imbibe water for better cooked quality.
  
• Bacon, ham, scrambled egg, or flaked fish may be used instead of leftover meat.