I have yet to meet a Nigerian that doesn't love rice, in fact when I say to people I haven't had rice in like a month or two, they are baffled and they go "really! so what do you eat?" Rice is a staple in many parts of the world, Nigeria inclusive; and it comes in many different styles. The few I have had includes wild rice, brown rice, black rice, Jasmine rice, Basmati rice, Arborio rice, Nigerian local rice aka ofada.
White rice is starchy and high in carbs as most of its fibers and nutrients have been lost during processing, my general rule of thumb is the whiter the carb the lesser the benefits, the browner the carb, the more nutrients are left in it. I know most people on the fit-fam train want to avoid rice as much as possible but sometimes it seems that's all there is to eat.
I'm able to stay away from rice or white rice at long intervals because I have a few substitutes that give me the similar taste and texture profile.
Couscous is made from Durum wheat, same family with semolina and pasta, I particularly like it because its lighter, easy to cook and easy to eat, in terms of nutritional value compared to rice, overall couscous provides more nutritional value and less calories. See comparison.
Bulgar Wheat is my personal favorite, I love its texture and flavor, it does very well with all Nigerian rice recipes. Bulgar is a whole wheat grain made from groat, its naturally high in fiber, low in calories and low in fat. If you never try any other try Bulgar wheat.
Unpolished rice; brown rice and Ofada rice falls in this category, although they are still rice but they contain more nutrients because only the husk has been removed making it whole grain, not processed. I saw something interesting on organic.ng - Ofada rice is not indigenous to Africa. It is purported to have been smuggled by a soldier into Nigeria when the soldier returned from Asia and planted the rice in Ofada.
Ofada rice are mostly blends, and usually contain Oryza glaberrima (African rice) as well as the more common Oryza sativa Asian rice, and may be categorized as either brown/red Ofada or white Ofada on the basis of un-milled seed color. Grain size, shape, and shade vary.
Ofada rice is unpolished, short/small grains. it is more difficult to mill and polish, some or all of the rice bran is left on the grain, strengthening the flavor and making it more nutritious.
Sincerely these healthier options are usually more expensive than our regular long grain rice, so I say the key is moderation, as with most things in life. I really enjoy these rice substitutes and I can tell for a fact that they help to my waist line tight.
Do you have any rice substitutes or do you already enjoy any of these? Lets discuss in the comments. Thank you for reading.
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