Pandan and Centella Asiatica Leaves for adding into the automatic rice cooker
Hi there, dear friends :D
I usually cook my rice plain to go with one soup, two meat and one veggie dishes for a meal. The only time when my rice got all jazzed up was when I cooked Nasi Lemak, i.e. rice that is cooked in coconut milk and with aromatics like pandan leaves, lemon grass, shallots and ginger thrown in and some salt added.
Yummy Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice) with all the sides
I was first introduced to the method of adding herbs for cooking together with rice when Master atan said the healthy benefits of herbs can be infused into the rice and the whole family will be eating healthier rice, compared to just plain, white rice.
A few months back, my foot reflexologist, a healthy 70-year old man, also taught me to add pandan leaves when cooking rice as a natural remedy for knee joint pains. Not only will the rice smell great from the pandan leaves, but it will also have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-microbial properties.
In 2010, I had written about the wonderful health benefits of Centella Asiatica/Gotu Kola, which is also known as “The Elixir of Youth,” “The One-Herb Pharmacy” and is good for enhancing memory ===>
Daun Pegaga/Gotu Kola/Centella Asiatica – The Elixir of Youth
So, with the Daun Pegaga added to the rice, there are even more health benefits to be enjoyed with the rice!
Recently, I found a cute, little stainless steel container that has a lid and I was able to cook white rice separately in it at the same time in the same rice cooker. My husband and eldest son absolutely refused to eat brown rice with the rest of the family.
White rice in a little container, cooked together with the brown/red rice
The pandan leaves also help to make the brown rice more fragrant. Actually, pandan leaves are also known as the “Vanilla of the East.”
Oh, I usually soak my brown/red rice with a little apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and water for a few hours first. Then, I will pour away the water, give the rice a few rinses and add sufficient water to cook the rice with pandan leaves and daun pegaga.
Soaking the brown rice helps to reduce phytic acid, which is an anti-nutrient, and soaking beforehand makes the brown rice taste better like white rice, but much healthier than white rice.
To know how much water is enough for the white and brown rice ===> just dip your index finger into the water until it reaches the top of the rice. The level of water should reach the first line from the tip of our index finger.
Next time, I will make my brown rice more “interesting” by adding black beans, barley, etc….
Now, you can cook healthy rice for your family! <3
Take care and stay healthy!
With best wishes,
choesf :)
