Tuesday, April 16, 2013

How to Ferment Brown Rice


As with legumes, brown rice must be properly prepared before consumption. Why brown rice and not white and save the hassle you say? Well, white rice is just a filler, simple carb, and has little to no nutrients since it's been stripped away. Brown rice needs to be soaked because it contains high amounts of phytic acid. For those who don’t know about phytic acid here’s a link to enlighten you on why proper soaking is important. With proper soaking, the amount of phytic acid in brown rice can be reduced by 96% 

How to soak brown rice: First you start with 1 cup of rice in a glass bowl. Add de-chlorinated water such as Spring Water, to cover the rice. There is no need for an acidic medium; the water does all the work. Let your rice set out uncovered in a warm area for 24 hours. Once done you need to save a half-cup worth of this soaking water. Strain some of this soaking water into a glass and cover and place in your refrigerator to save for later. This saved soaking water is quite important. Every time you ferment a new batch of rice you will do like I have already explained: Covering your rice with spring water, but you will now add that half-cup of saved water to your new batch of rice. What you’re doing is creating, a bacteria, soaking water that is going to remove the phytic acid. Every time you save a half-cup of this soaking water and re-use it, it removes more and more of the phytic acid. It takes about 3 good soaks to get a really good culture water, by which time your rice will have 96% of its phytic acid removed every time you soak your rice. So every time you soak make sure to save a half-cup of the soaking water and place it in your fridge. The culture will have a bad smell, not strong, which is a good sign. It means your water is full of phytic acid eating bacteria! Your culture will stay good in the fridge for about 1-2 weeks, so make sure you are fermenting rice often to keep the culture alive, or you will have to start the culture a new all over again. To know if your culture is still alive if it has gone too long without a ferment then smell the water and if it smells bad it’s still alive, if the water doesn’t smell like anything then its dead and you must start over. Once you have fermented your rice make sure you strain and rinse well and cook as usual and enjoy the available nutrients! 


16 comments:

  1. I washed my rice for 15 mins before boiling. But it still smells bad, Is it safe to eat ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes this happens with my rice too. It's safe to eat. :)

      Delete
  2. Hi. Thank you for this write-up. I am looking into paleo and I really want to keep eating brown rice because it seems good for me right now. It seems to help with my digestion. How do you know that the culture situation you created with the water removes the phytic acid? Do you have a scholarly source or study? Also, do you know anything about lectins in brown rice? From this page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lectin), I see that they are also called "phytohemagglutinins", which obviously starts with "phyt-" just like phytic acid. If you know anything about lectins please let me know.

    Thanks for reading! I hope to hear back from you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The soaking breaks down some of the hard-to-digest proteins, making assimilation much easier, and neutralizes phytic acid, which is an anti-nutrient that prevents absorption of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper.
      Because grains are seeds, they also contain enzyme inhibitors, which protect the seed from germinating until the conditions are proper for growth. If ingested, these inhibitors can prevent the body's enzymes from working properly, and digestion will be hindered. Soaking grains neutralizes these inhibitors and stimulates the production of beneficial enzymes and increases vitamin content, because the seed is being activated toward growth. This active, live seed is nutritionally superior to one that is "closed up".

      Further "proof" that soaking grains is the superior method will be found in your own experience. I've always loved brown rice, but ironically, didn't eat it all that much....until I started soaking it first. My desire for it has increased, my enjoyment of it has increased, and the nourished fulfillment I feel after eating it was an unexpected surprise.

      Phytase is a natural enzyme that is present in varying degrees within grains, seeds and nuts. This helpful enzyme, when properly activated, works to break down the phytic acid (phytates), and also helps to release beneficial nutrients, making them more bioavailable (more easily digested).
      Soaking grains in an acid medium at a warm temperature – also activates phytase thereby helping to release important vitamins, as well as making grains, seeds and beans more digestible. In addition, soaking helps to reduce, or even eliminate phytic acid. It's called accelerated fermentation. Hope this answers your questions! Thanks for reading!

      Delete
    2. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-rice-unhealthy/#axzz3o0WlizZ4


      Here is my source for most things. It mentions some things about lectins. Thanks again.

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  3. Hello, Syndi!!

    I've been soaking and fermenting for a couple years now after learning about phytic acid and other anti-nutrients, but I got one question. :]

    How long can one ferment?? I usually do 24 hours, however, say.. ya think I can go longer than that? 48 hours? Or is 24 hours really enough and it'd be a waste of time to continue fermenting after that? Just anxious about the anti-nutrients lol I really want them removed and eaten up by the bacteria completely, so it's even way easier to digest brown rice properly and take in the nutrients efficiently without having to worry about any minimal trace amounts of anti-nutrients still lingering... So I'm open to takin' things to the next level if it works!! :)

    Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No 24 hours is long enough. Any more than that and it's a waste of time. Thanks for the question and thanks for reading!

      Delete
  4. This is going to be a strange question, but here it goes:
    I found some brown rice that is a few years old, past the Best By date and is likely rancid. Is this still fermentable/worth fermenting? At the very least, if not palatable after the fact, would it still be fine to get the bacteria going?

    *Short of you saying NO DON'T DO IT, as soon as I find a jar to do this I'm going to try it out and can post my results.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most types of uncooked rice have an indefinite shelf life. So white, wild, Arborio, jasmine and basmati rice all have an indefinite shelf life, when kept free from contaminants. The exception is brown rice — thanks to its higher oil content, it won’t keep nearly as long. If it's been kept in a pantry it has a shelf life of about 3-6 months, stored in the fridge, 6-12 months and freezer storage is 12-18 months. So if you have kept the brown rice for years in your pantry it's best to throw it out and get new rice. It's inexpensive and not worth the risk of rancid/bad rice. Hope this helps! Thanks for reading my blog and posting questions

      Delete
    2. thanks for the great info on brown rice, phytic acid soaking, etc.

      Delete
  5. Great job....You have beautifully presented your thought in this blog post. I admire the time and effort you put into your blog and detailed information you offer.
    Basmati Rice

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi there, thank you so much for this recipe! I just have a few doubts though.
    1. The quantity of water kept in the refrigerator is always half a cup right?
    2.Do I need a perfectly air tight container for the saved water?
    3. Do I have to cover the soaked rice?

    Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great information. .Lots of work..Appreciated. .
      My fermented rice smells like bread baking. ..Delicious too.♡

      Delete
  7. Wow! This could be one particular of the most helpful blogs We have ever arrive across on this subject. Basically Magnificent. I’m also an expert in this topic therefore I can understand your hard work.
    rice producers

    ReplyDelete