Delicious Brown Rice – Coconut Milk Payasam

Brown rice payasam
Brown rice is a highly nutritious food. It is a low-calorie whole grain, rich in fiber, is gluten-free and you can incorporate it into a variety of dishes as I did for my payasam.  
“Brown rice is a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, thiamin, niacin and vitamin B6, and an excellent source of manganese, with 88 percent of your daily manganese in just one cup cooked,” Kelly Toups, a registered dietician with the Whole Grains Council tells Live Science.com

Health benefits of brown rice

# boost your heart health
# naturally gluten-free
# enhances digestion
# Increases your energy levels
# lowers bad cholesterol
# lowers the risk of cancer
# reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
# High in antioxidants
# helps in weight management
# lowers the risk of metabolic syndrome

Recipe: Brown Rice Payasam

Ingredients
1.    Brown rice- 1 cup
2.    Coconut milk- 2 cups
3.    Jaggery- ¾  cup (you can also add stevia)
4.    Milk- ½ cup
5.    Water according to consistency
6.    Almonds-6
7.    Cashews for decoration
8.    Cardamom-4
9.    One tsp ghee
Method
  1. Cook the brown rice and mash it up thoroughly. Since it is rich in fiber, it gives you a delicious stringy texture which is the highlight of this recipe. So you have to mash it up well while it’s steaming hot.
  2. 2.    In a thick bottomed vessel add the soft brown rice, coconut milk, milk, crushed cardamoms, powdered jaggery, and broken almonds.
  3. 3.    Allow the brown rice mixture to boil; soon your kitchen will be filled with a delicious aroma. Keep the payasam in a slow flame.
  • 4.    If the payasam thickens, you can add water to adjust the consistency.
  • 5.    Boil the payasam for 7-10 minutes.
  1. 6.    Switch off the stove. Garnish your yummy payasam with golden cashew nuts and some cardamoms (for aroma) that are fried in a tsp of ghee.
  2. 7.    Transfer to a serving bowl and serve payasam hot or cold.
Nutritional information
v Brown rice (cooked) contains 0.4mg of iron per 100gms
v Coconut milk contains 1.6 mg of iron per 100gms
V A tablespoon (20 grams) of jaggery provides 2.2mg of iron.
v Almonds contain 3.7 mg of iron per 100g
v Cashew nuts contain 6.7mg per 100g
Iron deficiency symptoms
(Source: mayoclinic.com)
Do you suffer
ü Extreme fatigue
ü Weakness
ü Pale skin
ü Chest pain, fast heartbeat or shortness of breath
ü Headache, dizziness or lightheadedness
ü Cold hands and feet
ü Inflammation or soreness of your tongue
ü Brittle nails
ü Unusual cravings for non-nutritive substances, such as ice, dirt or starch

 

Then you may have anemia. To enhance your iron levels, you can include Livogen in your diet and eat foods rich in iron. Try this tasty dish and let me know your thoughts.