Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (2024)

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Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (1)

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Genmai, or brown rice, is of course the healthier choice than its white counterpart, however not everyone likes it. Few people dislike regular rice, but there are many who don’t like brown rice out there. How about you?

Brown rice has a nutty flavor and chewy texture. A lot of people complain that it is too hard compared to white rice. Yes, white rice is pretty tasty… soft, fluffy, and even sweet. Unfortunately, like many other white foods like white bread, white rice is less nutritious. Brown rice has a lot of fiber and nutrients like vitamins and minerals. So if you want to eat rice everyday, brown rice is a better choice.

The reason why brown rice seems hard is because of the outer layer, bran and germ. The good news is inside the brown shell is the same tasty white rice. How you cook the brown rice makes a big difference in texture. Soaking longer and cooking with extra water helps. And also cooking in a heavy closed pot works better to create some pressure on the rice.

As you get used to the flavor and feel of brown rice, you might not mind so much. Try it more than a couple of times before you decide!

Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (2)

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5 from 1 vote

Genmai (Brown Rice)

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: rice

*Links may contain ad. #CommissionsEarned

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown rice short grain
  • 2 cups water 480ml

Instructions

Video


brown riceRice

March 13, 2014 By JapaneseCooking101

Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (4)

About JapaneseCooking101

Noriko and Yuko, the authors of this site, are both from Japan but now live in California. They love cooking and eating great food, and share a similar passion for home cooking using fresh ingredients.Noriko and Yuko plan and develop recipes together for Japanese Cooking 101. They cook and shoot photos/videos at their home kitchen(s.)

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  • Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (8)

    Kit

    May 5, 2014 at 10:27 am

    Beautiful website. Was wondering what type of brand of brown rice do you use. Thanks

    • Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (9)

      Noriko

      May 6, 2014 at 9:17 pm

      Kit,
      it was from Costco, I believe.

  • Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (10)

    Marco

    September 9, 2014 at 2:57 pm

    Just found this website, very nice recipes.

    I was wondering what’s a good way to get brown rice to be sticky. When I cook white rice, it’s sticky enough so I’ll be able to hold it within my chopsticks. However, I seem to be unable to achieve the same result with brown rice.

    • Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (11)

      Noriko

      September 12, 2014 at 1:24 am

      Marco,
      did you use short grain brown rice? You can try different brand, too.

      • Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (12)

        Marco

        September 12, 2014 at 4:48 am

        As far as I can tell it’s long grain. I can’t seem to find short grain brown rice here in the Netherlands.

        • Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (13)

          Noriko

          September 13, 2014 at 10:52 am

          Long grain rice is not sticky rice… Go online to see if you can find short grain brown rice.

        • Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (14)

          Linn

          October 3, 2014 at 6:17 am

          Bit late as a reply but you can buy organic genmai at the Meidi-Ya on Beethovenstraat in Amsterdam, along with several other fresh ingredients and staples.

  • Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (15)

    Amy

    October 19, 2014 at 7:55 am

    Can this be used to make onigiri? Because I bought short grain brown rice and followed the instructions on the packaging which were different than yours, but when I tried to make onigiri with it, it kept falling apart.

    • Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (16)

      Noriko

      October 24, 2014 at 9:10 pm

      Amy,
      yes, you could. Depending on brands, some brown rice is harder than the others and they may not sticky enough. Choose short grain brown rice and add a little more water when you cook it.

  • Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (17)

    Susan

    March 24, 2016 at 12:02 am

    What is the difference between short grain brown rice and long grain brown rice? Which one is healthier? Thanks.

  • Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (18)

    Sensei Haywood

    April 11, 2016 at 8:48 pm

    Do you have something like a season to make it a bit tastier? One unrelated question do you recommendation for Karate instructors? I mean I see the Kyokushin fighters of many countries and there kind a big.

  • Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (2024)

    FAQs

    Genmai (Brown Rice) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101? ›

    Genmai is unpolished brown rice with the husks removed but the bran and germ intact.

    Is genmai the same as brown rice? ›

    Genmai, or brown rice, is of course the healthier choice than its white counterpart, however not everyone likes it. Few people dislike regular rice, but there are many who don't like brown rice out there. How about you? Brown rice has a nutty flavor and chewy texture.

    Is Genmai healthier than white rice? ›

    Compared to white rice, Genmai is chewier and more nutritious, and has a mild, nutty flavour. While Genmai is the healthiest variety of rice, it's not as popular as white rice, probably because its nutty flavour only goes with certain types of dishes.

    What is the healthiest rice? ›

    1. Brown rice. Whole grain rice such as brown rice is less processed and refined than white rice. As a result, brown rice contains more nutrients such as fiber and minerals such as magnesium, iron, and zinc.

    Why do Japanese eat white rice instead of brown rice? ›

    Have you even wondered why Asian countries have eaten white rice for thousands of years, not brown? Because brown rice is full of phytates and lectins, which bind to vitamins and minerals and prevent them from being absorbed. Phytates are anti-nutrients found in grains and legumes.

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