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Can you Make Fried Rice with Brown Rice?
Yes! In fact, I love making fried rice with brown rice instead of white. The texture, the hearty, slightly nutty flavor… and if it’s sprouted rice, even better! If you’ve been following Big Little Bites for a while, you probably already know why sprouted grains are SO much healthier and easier to digest than their common counterparts.
How to Make Healthier Fried Rice
Fried rice feels like an indulgent meal, am I right? Fried in plenty of butter with loads of umami flavor thanks to soy sauce and full of calories! What if I told you that you can put those calories to work for you, by making them count? Not literally… but by choosing ingredients that have health benefits, you are choosing to nourish your body instead of bog it down with empty calories. Choosing sprouted short grain rice over white rice, is just one way I amp up the nutrition of my Favorite Fried Rice.
Some paleo friends may argue that brown rice is unhealthy due to phytates and lectins (they bind to vitamins and minerals, preventing them from being absorbed) – however, the reason white rice doesn’t contain those anti-nutrients, is because it’s been processed to remove the bran and germ from the grain. So here’s the answer to what’s really the healthier option: sprouted brown rice! The sprouting process removes those anti-nutrients, so you don’t even have to worry about them anymore, and improves the overall nutritional content!
There are two essential ingredients that lend most of the flavor to fried rice: soy sauce and butter. Did you know that soy is one of the most genetically modified (GMO) foods in the US? If you are wondering what the big deal is, click here for facts about GMO’s.
Choosing organic soy sauce is a great way to avoid GMO’s because genetic engineering is prohibited for organic products, meaning the farmer cannot plant genetically modified seeds or feed genetically modified foods to their livestock. Soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and molds and lends the much coveted 5th taste: “umami” to foods. Soy sauce lends plenty of salt to Favorite Fried Rice, so be careful not to add any table salt.
Another favorite, healthier swap is grass-fed butter for regular butter. How do you know you’ve got the good stuff? Butter should be a rich yellow color due to the cows feeding on grass and absorbing so much beta-carotene from plants. Now, butter isn’t exactly a superfood, and it isn’t even in my everyday rotation. However for certain recipes, such as my Favorite Fried Rice, there’s just no getting around the use of butter because it’s such a part of the flavor profile of the dish! That being said, incorporating grass-fed butter into your diet on a here and there basis is healthy! Yes, grass-fed butter contains saturated fats like coconut oil, but in small amounts this fat works to stabilize your blood sugar. Grass-fed butter is also significantly greater in nutrition benefits, compared to butter from grain-fed cows. According to Dr. Axe, grass-fed butter is better for your heart, an anti-inflammatory, a great source for vitamin A, contains energy-boosting and appetite-suppressing MCT’s, is high in anticancer CLA, rich in vital cholesterol and a good source of arachidonic acid. If you’re allergic to casein like our middle daughter, or lactose-intolerant, you can substitute butter for ghee in this recipe and others.
Favorite Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 c sprouted short grain rice, cooked ahead
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, minced
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 c frozen organic mixed peas, carrots and corn
- 2 tbsp grass-fed butter or ghee
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/4 c organic soy sauce use shoyu, which is Japanese soy sauce
- 3 organic eggs
- 1 tbsp Eden Foods Gomasio seasoning
- 1 sliced scallion
Instructions
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add toasted sesame oil and the minced yellow onion. Stir occasionally until the onion becomes clear and slightly browned (about 10-15 minutes).
- Add the minced garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.
- Stir in the frozen vegetables just until defrosted. Remove to a large serving bowl.
- Create an open well in the middle of the skillet and crack the eggs into it. Using a wooden spoon, break them up without scrambling, and cook until almost set. Remove them from the pan, placing them atop the bowl of vegetables.
- Add grass-fed butter and 1 tbsp avocado oil to the now-empty skillet, turn up the heat to medium-high and and give it a swirl.
- Spread the rice evenly into the skillet, and let fry undisturbed for 2-3 minutes (allowing it to get a little crispy on the bottom).
- Stir in the sliced scallion and transfer to the bowl of vegetables and eggs.
- Pour in the soy sauce and mix well. Sprinkle with Gomasio or toasted sesame seeds before serving!
