parboiled rice shouldn't exist

[nomantepotante]

Ingredients:

1 block smoked tofu, sliced as thin as possible (almost translucent)  
4 small onions, thinly sliced  
300g carrots, sliced  
1 tbsp tomato paste  
1 tbsp ketchup  
2 tsp whole cumin  
3/4 tsp cardamom  
1/4 tsp cloves  
2 tsp paprika  
2 bay leaves 
3.5 cups rice  
1 whole head of garlic, cut in half horizontally  
1l stock  

Optional: 

1 can of beans (e.g., kidney beans or chickpeas), drained and rinsed
Fresh parsley

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the smoked tofu slices until crispy and golden. They may break into smaller pieces, which is fine. Remove and set aside.  

2. In the same pan, add the sliced onions and carrots. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and the carrots are almost caramelized (soft and slightly browned).

3. Add the tomato paste and ketchup to the pan. Stir well to combine. Add the cumin, cardamom, cloves, paprika, bay leaves, and salt. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat it with the spice mixture. Add the crispy tofu slices back into the pan and mix gently.

5. Place both garlic head pieces on top of the rice. Push it down slightly so it’s nestled into the rice. Pour in the stock, ensuring the rice is fully submerged. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed.  

6. Once the pilau is cooked, remove the garlic halves. Squeeze out the softened garlic cloves, chop them finely, and stir them back into the pilau.  

7. If using beans, add them now and stir to combine.

[AbuBakirW]

Yes, as a Central Asian, parboiled basmati rice (specifically the one called "sella rice") is the best for plovs and palaus. Afghan Qabli palau tastes best with sella rice.

In Uzbekistan they make a different type of rice called devzira which is parboiled for plov, but you can basically never find it outside of CIS countries.

It never smells bad to me so maybe it has to do with the brand and how they imported it.

[obnoxiousNoxy]

Parboiled rice does NOT smell like plastic when you cook it. If yours does maybe you should toss it.

[agxryt]

I've never tried parboiled basmati, but regular parboiled is significantly nuttier and nutritious - so the blandness surprises me. They use a complicated process of steaming, where the endosperm (inside) of the rice gelatinizes and nutrients from the bran (1st outer layer) are absorbed into it. So it's sort of a halfway between white (no bran) and brown (with bran) rice. It's incredibly important for the developing world as it's insect resistant, fast cooking and has a higher proportion of resistant starches (better for diabetics)

[ME-quud]

I am Indian and we eat parboiled rice everyday. Actually parboiled rice becomes fluffy and non sticky after cooking that is why it goes well with different Currys. Non parboiled rice gets very sticky and does not go well with currys

[raplords]

Hahaha it's actually used for foods like biryani. It's prepared like that so that it does not loose it's form and get mushy when cooked in biryani. It's very very common in my home, Southern Africa.

Back home a lot of us bake our biryani, so we need a rice that really holds up in the oven for a while. Some ppl will use brown basmati.

But parboiled is great for its intended purpose 🤗

The flavour is lighter, but it's meant to be eaten with a bunch of spices - i.e. biryani.

[yoruichi]

Parboiled rice is a staple in many cultures worldwide, particularly in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, West Africa, and Central Asia. It's healthier than white rice, more affordable than regular basmati, and stores better. It was simply more accessible than other varieties of rice. Maybe, to Western tastes, it seems odd (though personally don't think it tastes bad). But saying that a staple food - one that has fed millions of people - shouldn't exist is kind of ignorant.

[SophieMuller-jlob]

Love that you actually include the full recipe it looks insane tasty

[db]

I don't think it's because of the rice but because of the way you prepare it. The Mahmoud rice you show in the video is the most popular rice in my culture and it tastes really good

[jeebikasinha]

There are various types of parboiled rice available, they don't taste good like regular white rice, however I eat partial parboiled which is easily available in the indian grocery shops. As a north-east Indian we eat rice daily and parboiled are better for digestion for those who have gut issues and chronic illnesses. I would always prefer partial parboiled over brown.

[antaratewary]

Europeans. Do not know their rice.

Every rice has a different use, and different regions use different kind of rice because of its properties.

[janejones]

Yes, it holds its shape, so important in pilaf. Uzbekistan has rice translucent rice they call lazer which tastes good and perfect for pilaf. We never add tomato paste to it though, we add curcuma. A head of garlic is correct though.

[MarsS-nwhn]

Different kinds of rice taste good in different dishes. If you like this lady bought a type of rice that you hate in your usual recipes, please try looking up the recipes its usually used in so you can give it a proper try and save your tastebuds. And if you dont want to try a new, often complicated recipe you dont even know you'll like - stick to the type of rice you've tried and which you know goes well with your recipes!

[NasusCore]

Parboiled rice usually has very high concentration of heavy metals - especially arsenic - especially if from China. Brown rice as well (the parboiling moves most of it into the grain along with the nutrients). Better go for white rice and eat a salad on the side.

[papertape]

No, it's not. Just because it's not something you are used to does not make it the worst thing that has ever occurred. Parboiled rice is used in many African countries, especially Nigeria and it is particularly helpful because most of the starch has been removed. Videos like this are borderline insufferable and deeply ignorant. Next time return it to the store if it isn't something you eatm

[DesertRose]

I cant digest brown rice, it becomes incredibly painful

[kiranbachhar]

Parboiled rice tastes better than regular Rice. We Bengolis prefer Parboiled rice over any other Rice.In the comment Section everyone is a nutritionist

[gabrieljohnson]

I make a veggie burger mix that includes parboiled rice along with many other ingredients. With the veggie burger mix you just add boiling water and let it sit until it's soft. Then you just need to form it into patties and cook in a pan. Then it's ready for a bun and toppings.

[coffeesnorter]

I'm from west bengal which is the largest rice producing state of india (2nd largest producer in the world after china) and i can assure you there are thousands of different kinds of rice. Rice is life flour, you must know which rice to use in what recipies, otherwise it just won't do. Hopefully you'll have a lot of different kinds of food and your pallate will mature then you'll enjoy the difference.

[mariamahmad]

As an indian, here parboiled rice is extensively used especially in pulaos and biryanis...its sturdier than the plain counterpart hence easier to handle even for amateur cooks but i totally agree about it feeling like plastic it never really gets as soft neither as fragrant and its fatter so we never cook it in our household...iykyk