I usually prefer brown rice, but my hubby will eat only white basmati. The
imported white rice sold in ethnic markets in the US isn't enriched, is it?
Here is some info on rice I found interesting. All items but the first are
from The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food & Nutrition (1992):
In Japan the standard ratio of water to rice is 1:1 for the first 6 weeks
after harvest. The amount of water then rises steadily, and when the rice is
11 months old, the ratio is 10 water to 8 rice. / What makes short-grain rice
sticky is a higher percentage of amylopectin. / In many countries where white
rice constitutes the bulk of the diet, beriberi (a thiamin deficiency
disease) is still common, because the rice is not enriched. Enrichment does
not add back all the nutrients that have been removed with the bran and germ
but does at least add thiamin, niacin and iron. / Packaged (not bulk)
enriched white rice from the US is clean and should not be rinsed, because
there are nutrients in the starchy coating of enriched rice which wash off (I
assume the ones that were added). / Parboiled (also called converted) white
rice is more nutritious than regular white rice, even when both are enriched.
The term "parboiled" does not mean precooked. Parboiled rice has been soaked
and steamed under pressure before milling; this process forces some of the
nutrients into the grain so that they are not totally lost.
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