No Pain, Whole Grain

Preparing whole grains need not be a pain, especially with a rice cooker. To complement a rice cooker I recently gave my busy sister in law Babette, I put together pre-assembled packets of grains, together with seasonings, which could be tossed quickly in a rice cooker (I’m a fan of unattended automation!) while still delivering the richness of whole grains. Making several packs at once for later use saves a lot of time and labor, and can be a God-send on a busy weeknight.

For these quicker cooking recipes I avoided harder wheat berries and grains and stuck to ones that would cook in the 20-30 minutes of a rice cooker’s cycle. You can find soft whole wheat berries that actually work well and add or substitute them for some of the grains in these recipes.

These are three variations on one theme – there are many themes, so experiment. The first section of each recipe can be assembled and packaged together in advance, and cooked last minute in a rice cooker. Of course you certainly can prepare them on the stovetop as well, it just takes a bit more attending to.

These pilafs are also designed so as not to turn off those not used to whole grains – they have little of that ‘roots, woodchips and bark’ character, that some cynically assign to whole grain dishes. These should serve as a facile transition from bleached white grains, for those wanting to head in a more wholesome direction. They go well with lentils or other creamy bean dishes.

And they’re fast!

Whole Grain Pilaf
½ cup long grain brown rice
¼ cup short grain brown rice
¼ cup long grain white rice
1 Tbsp. pearl barley
2 Tbsp. bulgur wheat
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. dried onion flakes
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. roasted sesame seeds
1 tsp. salt

2½ cups water
1 Tbsp. canola oil

Rice cooker
Place all ingredients in rice cooker, cover and start rice cooker.

Stovetop
Bring water and oil to boil. Add all other ingredients. Return to boil. Reduce heat to low simmer. Stir once, cover and cook about 20 minutes.

Thai Whole Grain Pilaf
½ cup brown Jasmine rice
¼ cup short grain brown rice
¼ cup white Jasmine rice
1 Tbsp. pearl barley
2 Tbsp. bulgur wheat
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. dried onion flakes
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. roasted sesame seeds
1 tsp. powdered lemongrass
2 tsp. dried green Thai curry powder
zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. dried Zante currants
1 tsp. salt

2½ cups water
1 Tbsp. canola oil

Rice cooker
Place all ingredients in rice cooker, cover and start rice cooker.

Stovetop
Bring water and oil to boil. Add all other ingredients. Return to boil. Reduce heat to low simmer. Stir once, cover and cook about 20 minutes.

Indian Whole Grain Pilaf
½ cup brown Basmati rice
¼ cup short grain brown rice
¼ cup white Basmati rice
1 Tbsp. pearl barley
2 Tbsp. bulgur wheat
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. dried onion flakes
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. roasted sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. golden raisins
1 Tbsp. curry powder
¼ cup blanched whole or slivered almonds

2½ cups water
1 Tbsp. canola oil

Rice cooker
Place all ingredients in rice cooker, cover and start rice cooker.

Stovetop
Bring water and oil to boil. Add all other ingredients. Return to boil. Reduce heat to low simmer. Stir once, cover and cook about 20 minutes.