Brown Rice and Cashew Pilaf

For the majority of people brown rice is not a staple of their diets.  It’s too chewy compared to the typical long grain white rice or sticky rice we get in Chinese restaurants.  This chewy texture is because of the bran that has been left on the rice grain.  This is actually very healthy for us because it contains the essential fats, protein and fiber for a balanced diet.

The other day I had a hankering for some rice and all I had was some brown rice.  I used chicken broth instead of just water and added a touch of butter to add some lusciousness to the mouthfeel.  Though it was good it was still missing something.

Yesterday, DH graciously offered to grill our Garlic Teriyaki chicken breasts on the gas grill outside since it was such a nice evening.  This gave me an opportunity to doctor up the leftover brown rice.

This is what I came up with:

Brown Rice and Cashew Pilaf

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion diced

3 cloves garlic finely diced

1/2 cup coarsely chopped cashews

2 cups cooked brown rice

In a wok or large saute pan over medium heat pour in the olive oil.  Add the onion stirring constantly until translucent.  Then add the garlic and cashews stirring constantly making sure not to burn. When warmed through add the cooked rice and stir fry until the rice is evenly warm and mixed with other ingredients.

Even though this was an experiment I was very pleased with the outcome, so much so that I went back for seconds.  The cashews lent a mild sweetness that I did not expect and  which worked very well with the spiciness of the garlic and onions and earthiness of the rice.

Don’t be afraid of brown rice.  It is a very good base or vehicle for other flavors.  Play with the grain and you’ll be surprised at the results.