Brown Rice Recipe

Brown Rice Burger


As Japanese rice is sticky, it easily forms a ball-like shape. Cook round shape brown rice cakes until they become crispy and serve them with grilled pork and kinpira. Japanese first-food chain restaurant Moss Food, presents the same type of rice burgers that I love, and this recipe was created based on Moss's idea.


[Ingredients] (serves: 1)
2 bowls of brown rice
1 tbsp of sesame oil
1 lettuce leaf
2 slices of salt pork
Carrot and burdock root kinpira


[How to Cook]
4 rice cakes

1. Place a small amount of water in your hand. Rub a pinch of salt on the palm and place 1/2 bowl of rice on it. Gently squeeze it to form a round shape.
2. 2. Place the rice ball on a kitchen board. Flatten it to make pancake-like shape by thighly pressing it using your hand.
3. 3. Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the both sides of the rice until they have been browned. Season with salt and pepper.

Filling

1. Place pork, burdock root and carrot kinpira
2. Spread 1 lettuce leaf and place 2 slices of grilled salt pork
   

How to Reduce Weight?

Detoxification

I have been bothered by what seem to be a small health problem, but its too big of a problem to be ignored. Its one of the underlining causes I have gained weight. Yes!! My constipation problem!

Having sold more than a million copies, “病気にならない生き方: How to live healthy” written by Hiromi Shinya, explains why constipation causes serious problems. He stressed that having a healthy small intestine is one of the keys to a successful life, as it increases metabolism, which is absolutely necessary when trying to reduce weight.

In the small intestine where food is digested, food is broken down into nutrition and waste. This process is promoted by many types of enzymes which exist in the small intestine. Next, the nutrition is absorbed by the blood vessels and sent throughout the body which stimulates metabolism – the mechanism for burning fat-. At the same time, waste products are removed through the passage of stool.
When the small bowel movement is not functioning properly, waste products accumulate on its walls and the build-up of waste products over a long period of time produces a lot of toxic substances. These toxic substances flood the blood vessels and are eventually carried throughout the body. Problems, particularly related to skin, often occur when these toxic substances are excreted through the pores. This hinders metabolism as these toxic substances prevent nutrition from being absorbed in the blood vessels.

I may have accumulated a lot of toxic substances in my small intestine so I want to expel them!!
Eating less amounts of food dose not solve the problem. The accumulated waste will not be expelled without stimulating the small intestine -eating food-.
Eating three types of foods are effective for the detoxification of the small intestine.

Foods rich in soluble fiber
Soluble fiber prevents toxic substances from being absorbed by the body by attaching itself to them, which are then eventually removed when stool is passed. Soluble fiber is also effective in curbing the absorption of carbohydrates, fat and cholesterol. It also lowers blood pressure, as it expels natrium.
Konnyaku, seaweed, dried prunes, kidney beans

Foods rich in insoluble fiber
Soluble fiber absorbs water and increases its own bulk, which stimulates the walls of the small intestine and promotes movement
Burdock root, broccoli, mushrooms, whole grain, brown rice

Foods which increase the amount of good bacteria inside the small intestine
They control bad bacteria and activate good bacteria in the small intestine
Yogurt, green tea, kimchi

Konnyaku Dish

Nikujaga (Braised Meat and Potato)

Time: 40 min

Want to cook this dish? Go to my home page to see the details: http://tarosfood.xsrv.jp/pg244.html

[Ingredients] (serves: 4)

200g thinly sliced beef
4-5 (1pound) potatoes
1/2 carrot (medium sized)
1 onion
A small package (4 oz) of threaded konnyaku
1 tsp salad oil
1 tsp sugar
3 tsp sake
3 tsp mirin
3 tsp soy sauce


[How to Cook]

1. Peel the potatoes and carrot. Dice the potatoes into 3 cm chunks. Dice the carrot into pieces half the size of the potatoes. Soak the potatoes to release the foam for 2-3 min and drain. Cut the onion into 4-5 wedge-shape pieces.
2. Boil the threaded konnyaku for 1-2 min and drain to release scum. Place the beef in a colander and pour boiled water over it to get rid of the smell and extra fat.
3. Heat salad oil in a pot. Fry the potatoes and carrot for about 2 min then add the onion and fry for 1 min over medium heat. Keep stirring so that the vegetables do not burn.
4. Add the beef and cook over medium heat until the beef becomes brown.
5. Add 2 cups of water. Raise the heat to high. When the water begins to boil, skim off the foam which has risen to the top.
6. Place threaded konnyaku in the pot so it covers the other ingredients. Add the sugar, sake, mirin and soy sauce. Gently mix them so that the seasonings evenly penetrate the ingredients.
7. Cover the ingredients with aluminum foil and cook over high heat for about 15 min.
8. Check the firmness of potatoes. When the potatoes are soft and about 1/3 of the broth has evaporated, turn off the heat.

Foods which make you lean (2)- Konnyaku

A Unique Japanese Traditional Food- Konnyaku

Konnyaku is Japanese traditional food that has a distinctive character. It helps to reduce weight.

Konnyaku is extremely rich in soluble fiber which has function to clean up inside of the small bowel. Soluble fiber contained in konnyaku eases the passage of stool and expels toxic substances accumulated in the walls of the small bowl. Metabolism improves when these toxic substances are removed. Besides, this firm gel-like food is extremely low calories.

Konnyaku has very weak taste. You might lose interest if it is not tasty even though it greatly contributes to health. The good news is that when konnyaku is combined with other ingredients and seasoned, it well absorbs the flavor of other ingredients and creates deep tastes.

Simmered Konnyaku and Pork with Miso

This deep and strong-taste konnyaku dish extremely goes well with a bowl of rice. It is also perfect to be served with sake.

Time: 20 min

[Ingredients] (serves: 4)

• 6 oz pork side (thinly sliced)
• 1 package of konnyaku
• 1 piece of chopped garlic
• Chopped green onion for garnishing

-Broth A-

• 2 tbsp of soy-sauce
• 1 and a half tbsp of sugar
• 2 tbsp of miso
• 1/5 cup of sake
• 1 piece of chopped ginger

[How to Cook]

1. Cut the konnyaku into bite-sized pieces using a spoon. Boil the konnyaku about for 30 min to release the scum.Cut the pork into the portions 2-3 cm in length.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and fry the chopped garlic. When the garlic has been aromatic, add the pork. Stir while frying it over medium heat until it is browned and crispy.
3. Add the konnyaku and fry them. When the all ingredients have been coated with oil, add Broth A. Cover them with a lid and cook over medium heat for about 5-7 min.
4. When serving it in a dish, garnish the chopped green onion.
   

How to Reduce Weight?

Small amounts of low-fat food reduce weight?

My grandma said that there was a time when Japanese women used to eat very small amounts of food. Of course, she was not talking about Japanese women living today who can go anywhere in the world if they want to. She was talking about the Japanese women in the Heian era (794-1192).

In the Heian era, the ruling class living in Kyoto established their own independent culture. It was during this era that many excellent books were written by women who served in the Kyoto palace. One of the greatest Japanese novel, “the Tale of Gengi” said to be the oldest novel in the world, was also written by a woman working in this palace. Many stories written in this period colorfully depict their unique and elegant lives, but interestingly, they don’t say anything about meals in their stories.

It seems very strange but there was a good reason for it. They did not write anything about food at all because they considered eating to be a shameful act. The women hid themselves while they had meals as they did not want to be seen by others. Coincidentally, they were particular about choosing their food. They preferred expensive foods regarded to be sophisticated such as dried fish and meat. (Fresh fish and meat were not available at that time). They did not like vegetables, which were thought to be foods for the lower-class people.

So what happened if they ate only restricted types of small amounts of foods? In fact, they didn’t eat much and only ate low-fat foods.
Researchers I learned have found that the noble class people in the Heian era were quite susceptible to many types of diseases such as diabetes, beriberi and anemia. It's thought that these diseases were caused by their diet and lack of exercise.

My grandma explained that heavily restricting the amounts of foods intake was not the way to reduce weight. She said that improving the body function including the ability to burn fat is the shortest way to achieve the goal.

Unlike the women in the Heian era, there is a lot of information which supports this theory.

Shikibu Murasaki written by Mitsuoki Tosa

Reference: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%B4%AB%E5%BC%8F%E9%83%A8

Nimono (Simmered Dishes) (2)

Komatsuna and Deep-fried Tofu Nimono
Time: 7 min



[Ingredients] (serves: 4)

• 1 pound komatsuna
• 1/2 (about 3 oz) thin deep fried tofu
• 2 tsp salad oil
• 200ml dashi
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp mirin1
• 1/3 tbsp thin soy-sauce

[How To Cook]

1. Cut the komatusna into pieces 5 cm in length. Julienne the deep-fried tofu.
2. Heat salad oil in a pot. Add the komatsuna and the deep-fried tofu and fry for 30-60 sec.
3. Add the dashi, mirin and thin soy sauce and simmer for 2-3 min. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
   
   

Tips on how to cook Japanese dishes (1)

Basic Seasoning Pattern

Japanese cooking frequently use specific seasonings- miso, soy-source, sugar, vinegar, mirin and sake, etc. There is a fundamental method that should be adhered to for seasonings.

The basic order of seasoning: Sugar, Salt, Vinegar, Soy-sauce and Miso.

• Sugar is used first because it takes the longest time to penetrate the ingredients. Using sugar first also facilitates other seasonings’ ability to penetrate into the ingredients.
• Soy-sauce and miso should be added in the last stage. They contain a lot of salt, which has function to dehydrate the ingredients. If it is used too early, the dish will dry out and become firm.
• In order to retain the aroma and flavors of soy-sauce and miso, they should be added in the last stage.

In boiled dishes called “Nimono”, seasonings should deeply penetrate to all the ingredients in the pot, so this pattern of seasonings is particularly important.
Another way to enhance the taste of seasonings in a dish is to slowly cool it after it is cooked. When the temperature in a dish goes down, the seasonings penetrate into ingredients very well due to osmotic pressure effects.

Balanced Vegetable Dish (1)

Japanese Rolled Lettuce

Want to cook this dish? Click here for the details: http://tarosfood.xsrv.jp/pg247.html

[Ingredients] (serves: 4-5)

• 6 oz minced pork
• 2 oz chopped onion
• 2 oz chopped carrot
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp thin soy-sauce
• 1 tbsp starch
• 6 lettuce leaves
• Flour (to season)
• 1 oz burdock root
• 1 oz konnyaku
• 2/3 oz carrot
• 2 shiitake mushrooms
• 450 ml water
• 2 tbsp sake
• 2 tbsp thin-soy sauce
• 5cm length dried konbu

[How to Cook]

(Preparation)

1. Boil the chopped carrots for 1 min. Place all the ingredients for the stuffing in a bowl and mix well. Cut the burdock root and konnyaku into thin rectangles, and boil them for 1 min. Cut the shiitake into 1cm thick pieces.
2. Boil the lettuce leaves for 1-2 min and drain.Spread the leaves and sprinkle them with flour. Place a proportionate amount of stuffing on each leaf and roll carefully. Makes 6 lettuce rolls.
3. Place the broth, lettuce rolls, konnyaku, carrot and shiitake in a pot. Heat over high heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce to the lowest setting and cook for 15 min. Cut the lettuce rolls in half and serve them in a dish. Season with pepper.

Soy Beans Dish (2)

Grilled Tofu with Cheese

[Ingredients] (serves: 4)

• 1 tofu
• 60g chikin breast fillet
• 5 mushrooms
• 1/4 onion4 cheese slices
• Chopped parsley
• (Miso paste)
• 2 tbsp miso, 1and a half tbsp sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil

[How to Cook]

1. Cut the tofu into 4 pieces. Place a kitchen towel on a strainer and place the tofu on it to remove extra water.
2. Slice the chicken and mushrooms. Finley chop the onion.
3. Place all the ingredients for the miso paste in a pot. Cook it over the lowest heat while stirring until it becomes glossy. Add the chicken, mushroom and onion to the miso paste and cook them for about 3 min over medium heat.
4. Season the tofu with soy-sauce. Fry the both sides of the tofu in a skillet for 1 min each.
5. Place the tofu in aluminum foil pieces. Place the miso paste on the tofu and grill them over small-medium heat for about 5-7 min. When they are cooked, place the cheese on them and continue to grill until the cheese has melted. When serving it in a dish, sprinkle it with the chopped parsley.

Go to this recipe with more pictures: http://tarosfood.xsrv.jp/pg269.html

Soy Beans Dish (1)

Miso Soup

Japanese meals always include the combination of miso soup and rice. Since its origin in Nara era (710-794), a number of types of miso soup has been created in many parts of Japan.Miso is made from soybeans which are rich in protein, vitamins and minerals and it has been proven positively affect health.

• Miso contains saponin which effectively lowers cholesterol. Additionally, those who frequently consumed isoflavone also contained in miso are 54% less likely to develop breast cancer compared to those who rarely did.
• Miso has a strong antioxidant effect which slows aging.

Pork, Shimeji Mushroom and Vegetable Miso Soup

[Ingredients] (serves: 4)

• 4 cupts of water
• 100g of bacon
• 1/3 carrot
• 1/6 pumpkin
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 pack of shimeji-mushroom
• About 80g of miso (adjust the amount depending on types of miso)

[How to Cook]

1. Cut the carrot into 1cm thick quater rounds. Dice the pumpkin into 2-3cm pieces. Cut the onion into 1cm thick. Slice the bacon into 5cm length.
2. Boil the carrot for about 5 min and drain.
3. Heat the water in a pot and add all the ingredinets. When it comes to a boil, skim forms. Simmer about 10-15 min and add miso. Turn off the heat and serve in a bowl.

Foods which make you lean

Ninjas were professional warriors that also engaged in spying activities. As spying activities required high-level physical and mental abilities, they always trained themselves to maintain their super-skills. They also knew a lot about the foods they ate. They researched the effectiveness of each ingredient and classified them in order to use them to their advantage.

(1) Soy beans

Soy beans were eaten by Ninjas on a daily basis. There are 3 reasons why they ate soy beans.Soy beans contain rich vegetable protein. Protein’s role is to build muscles and replenish skin. As meat was not commonly eaten in Japan at that time, soy beans were an important source of protein used to strengthen their muscles.A ninja needed to be lean and agile. They were required to maintain a weight of less than 60 kilograms. Taking protein from vegetables was a smart way to control their weight.Soy beans are effective in improving skin-condition as they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, isoflavones and linolenic acid. Ninjas sometimes needed to disguise themselves when spying, and having clean skin was advantageous when trying to pass as a townsman, monk or even a woman.

Nimono (Simmered Dishes) (1)

"Nimono" is Japanese cooking traditionally used. For "Nimono", the ingredients (vegetables, fish, meat or tofu) are boiled or simmered in broth, typically dashi containing sugar, sake, mirin and soy-sauce and these seasonings penetrate the ingredients. The seasonings particularly penetrate the ingredients well when the nimono is slowly cooled after they are cooked.


Pumpkin Nimono

[Ingredients] (serves: 4)

• 1/4 medium pumpkin
• 30 ml thin soy sauce
• 50 ml mirin
• 350 ml water
• 50 ml sake
• 3 tbsp sugar

[How To Cook]

1. Cut the pumpkin into 4 to 5 cm pieces. Thinly slice the corner of the pumpkin which prevents them from losing their shape when simmered.
2. In a pot, place the water, sake, mirin, sugar, and place the pumpkin with the skin face down. Use enough broth to cover the pumpkin pieces.
3. Cover with a cooking sheet and cook. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 more min.
4. When the pumpkin becomes soft, add the soy sauce and simmer for 2-3 min. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool.
   

How to Cook Brown Rice (Using a pressure cooker)

Brown Rice

[Ingredients] (serves:4)
2 cups of rice2 and 3/4 cups of water
The amounts of water can be changed depending on the condition of rice, tempature or individual preference. Old rice is very dry and requires extra water.

[How to Cook]

1. Place rice and water in a bowl. Quickly rinse the rice and dispose of the murky water. Do this 1 or 2 times.
2. Place the rice into a draining basket and remove the excess water.
3. Transfer the rice into a pressure cooker and add water.
4. Cover the pot nad place on high heat. When it comes to a boil and the top pops, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 30 min.
5. After turning off the heat, wait for 10-15 min until the pressure inside has completely diminisihed. Open the pot and mix the rice using a cutting-like motion to remove any excess water.

Brown Rice Diet

Eating brown rice prevents or relives constipation and when constipation-related problems are solved, many people start to lose weight.Brown rice is rich in fiber and unlike other food components such as fats, proteins, or carbohydrates, fiber is not digested in the body. It passes unchanged through the stomach, small intestine and colon. In the process in which fiber passes through the body, it increases the weight and size of stool, which makes it easier to pass through the body and to relives constipation.In the body, there are toxic substances sticking to the walls of the small intestine and colon, and when these toxic substances are removed by the passage of stool, metabolism is activated, and the foods eaten are more easily digested and converted into energy. Fats and carbohydrates are quickly burned which contributes to weight loss.

Continued brown rice consumption will regularly remove toxic substances and stimulate metabolism improving a person’s entire health, most noticeably their skin.

Other benefits of eating brown rice are:
It lowers the risk of colon cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
Vitamin B contained in brown rice improves metabolism and helps sugar to be converted into energy, resulting in boosting the energy inside the body.
Aging occurs when peroxidized fat from becoming rancid, which slows aging.