(6 servings)
1 cup short grain brown rice
6 1/2 cups water
1/8 cup Adzuki Beans, soaked 12 hours
This recipe can be done with a minimum use
of energy and time. Soak the beans first thing the morning before
you wish to have the porridge. The evening before, wash the
rice and then cook it with the beans in the water. Once the
water comes to a boil, allow it to simmer for 60 minutes on
low heat, and then turn the heat off and let it sit on the burner
overnight.. DO NOT REMOVE THE LID during this time, as it will
disturb the cooking process. The next morning the rice will
be ready; just warm up and serve the amount that you need.
Important Cooking Tips
1. Use short grain brown rice. You will not
get the same results with long grain brown rice.
2. To wash rice, just cover the grains with water. Run your
fingers through the rice alternating a few times in a clockwise/counter-clockwise
direction. Pour the water through a strainer so you don’t
lose any rice. Do this process two more times. This water is
high in nutrition and can be used to water plants.
3. The water used to soak the beans should be fed to the plants,
and not incorporated into the porridge. Disposing of the water
will aid in the digestion of the beans.
4. You may find upon reheating the porridge that it is too thick.
In that case, add water to desired consistency.
Brown rice with adzuki beans is the healthiest
meal one eats in a Zen Monastery. Because of the enzymatic interaction
between beans and rice, eaten together the nutritional value
is greater than eating beans and rice separately.
The traditional condiments with brown rice
porridge are “umeboshi”, or pickled plums, as well
as “goma shio”, or sesame salt. Umeboshi can be
purchased at an Asian foods market, and require no preparation.
Eating one umeboshi a day, usually at the start of the day in
a bowl of brown rice porridge is considered the best way to
benefit from a macrobiotic diet. Just watch out for the pit!
Take a little of the plum off the pit at a time to eat with
each spoonful of porridge. Umeboshi are for the stomach in the
east, what yogurt is for the stomach in the west. They are considered
a medicine. One recent study which my Doctor gave me suggests
that 40 grams of ground toasted sesame seeds per day reduces
LDL cholesterol levels by 9.5%.
To prepare goma shio:
Toast 2 Tbsp. unhulled sesame seeds on high in a frying pan,
stirring constantly so as to not burn. The seeds will turn light
brown, pop, and give off a strong fragrance. It takes about
2 minutes. Put them in blender along with 2 tsp. salt and blend
until well ground.
For the easiest way to learn how to cook brown
rice come and learn it with us at MEZ, preferably on the morning
of a ½ Day of Mindfulness. And take some home with you!
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