Roasties… Roasted Brown Rice
Way back in our college days, when my husband and I were just getting to know each other, he wooed me with his cooking. One of my all-time favorites from his repertoire of healthy snacks was roasties. Now, years later, they are still a family favorite. Roasties are the perfect crunchy, salty snack and are really fun to make and eat!
Start out by soaking approximately 1/2 cup of sweet brown rice overnight. The next morning, drain the water. Heat a large skillet on medium/high heat. Cover the the skillet with rice (it will still be wet) and add a pinch of sea salt. Continuously stir and shake the rice (see video below). You will start to hear and see it pop. Keep it moving until the rice is a golden brown color.
Share a handful with a loved one!
Mariah
@playfullearning
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This looks very yummy, I’m always glad when I find healthy snacks for my kids, especially when we’re on the road. Your husband has a whole repertoire of them? Bring it on!
Hi Claudia – Yes! Roasties are great for the road. Hmmmm… Maybe it is time to start sharing some more healthy snack ideas?
Looks wonderful.
“Sweet” brown rice? Is this different from regular brown rice???
What exactly is “sweet” brown rice, and can regular brown rice be used?
Hi Bonnie & Sara – Yes, you do have to use the Sweet Brown Rice. We have tried using regular brown rice and it does not “pop” the same way.
Lundberg is our favorite Sweet Brown Rice and you can find it at Whole Foods and other health food stores…
http://www.lundberg.com/products/rice/2_lb_rice_varieties/Organic_Brown_Sweet_Rice.aspx
A big hit at my house today – such a nice snack when you want crunch and salt!!
Wonderful!
How long will this keep and what is the best way to store it? Wondering how big of a batch to make…
Hi Casey. They will last for about a day… We make it like popcorn—we make a batch and then eat it all within that day. If you do decide to store it, I would recommend a glass jar.
I didn’t have any of the sweet rice mentioned, but I thought I’d try it with some Jasmine rice that I had on hand. As expected, it didn’t pop either, but I thought it was worth a try.
I soaked it overnight (actually about 20 hours) and let it drain for a bit. I then put it in my old Stir Crazy Popcorn maker rather than a skillet. It has a well-seasoned non-stick finish and a little steel bar that rotates around and stir the grains. As it heated, there were some signs of a stickiness developing. I added just a couple of drops of olive oil, and let it stir until it was nice and brown. I also added a little salt. As I said, it never did “pop”, but it did become nice and crunchy and toasty. I think it might just become my new low-cal substitute for chips or M&M’s. I am crunching away on them now and they’re really pretty good. I really like the crunch, and it’s definitely not like eating raw rice. I one of those people who eat the chocolate nonpareils and try to bite each of the tiny white candies on top. I can see this half-cup of rice easily becoming 3-4 servings of snack. I could easily crunch away a huge bowl of potato chips in the time that it would take me to eat a tablespoon of these. Right now, they’re still warm. I am not sure if they’ll be just as good once cooled, but I think so.
I’ll definitely try to find some of the sweet brown rice the next time I am at Whole Foods and give that a try.
TR – Very clever! I am so glad that you enjoyed the Jasmine rice. I will have to try it sometime. Yes, these are a great substitute for other (not so healthy) crunchy, salty snacks. Thank you for sharing…