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esvoboda · 09-08-2005, 02:36 AM

I am sure there are some of you who are caught between a rock and a hard place because you want to eat rice but feel white rice isn't too healthful yet you can't bear to eat brown rice. I'm one of those people.

I mostly eat Japanese style at home, eating mostly fish for protein and sometimes chicken. Giving up rice isn't an option for me.

There's a type of rice that is neither fully-polished (white) nor unpolished (brown). Instead, it's semi-polished, with the outer bran removed but with the inner rice germ retained. This results in rice that is nutritionally somewhere between white and brown. I honestly think the taste is better than either one. The germ seems to add good flavor. This type of rice is called "haiga" rice.

I live in sort of a Japantown neighborhood and buy this rice at my Japanese grocery store. It sells here for about $14 for 15 pounds. That's about the same as a very good Japanese white rice. I've also found it online here.

Note that this is a short-grain "sticky" rice like you see at a Japanese restaurant. It's quite different than a long-grain rice like basmati.

By the way, it's my understanding that the Japanese government requires schools to serve haiga rice instead of white rice because of the nutritional benefits.

09-08-2005, 02:36 AM	#1 (permalink)
esvoboda Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3 My Profile	I am sure there are some of you who are caught between a rock and a hard place because you want to eat rice but feel white rice isn't too healthful yet you can't bear to eat brown rice. I'm one of those people. I mostly eat Japanese style at home, eating mostly fish for protein and sometimes chicken. Giving up rice isn't an option for me. There's a type of rice that is neither fully-polished (white) nor unpolished (brown). Instead, it's semi-polished, with the outer bran removed but with the inner rice germ retained. This results in rice that is nutritionally somewhere between white and brown. I honestly think the taste is better than either one. The germ seems to add good flavor. This type of rice is called "haiga" rice. I live in sort of a Japantown neighborhood and buy this rice at my Japanese grocery store. It sells here for about $14 for 15 pounds. That's about the same as a very good Japanese white rice. I've also found it online here. Note that this is a short-grain "sticky" rice like you see at a Japanese restaurant. It's quite different than a long-grain rice like basmati. By the way, it's my understanding that the Japanese government requires schools to serve haiga rice instead of white rice because of the nutritional benefits.