Cooking Brown Rice For Your Baby

We are sometimes asked if it's OK for babies to eat brown rice and if brown rice is better for babies than white.

Well, the answer to both of these questions is a big YES! Brown rice is not just the healthiest choice for your baby - it's good for the whole family and is packed with important nutrients.

Why is brown rice better for baby than white?

A grain of rice is composed of several different layers. Only the outside layer, the 'hull', is removed during the production of brown rice and very little goodness is lost by the grain in the process.

But during the production of white rice, the grains are milled to remove more layers - the bran and almost all of the germ. This process strips the grains of the majority of their nutrients.

In the final part of the process, another layer called 'aleurone' is removed and the grains are polished. But aleurone is a good source of essential fat, which play such an important role in your baby's diet.

So what are you left with?

White rice - a refined starch that offers your little one very little in the way of nutrition.

Why is brown rice such a healthy choice for baby?

Just look at what it contains!

• vitamins B1, B3 and B6
• manganese (essential for healthy bones, manganese also reduces the symptoms of asthma and is a powerful, energy-providing antitoxins)
  
• iron
  
• phosphorus
• selenium
• Essential Fatty Acids
• fibre

Brown rice baby food recipes

Peach And Brown Rice Breakfast (6 months+)
2 oz (1/4 cup) brown rice
1/2 ripe peach
8 fl oz (1 cup) water
a little breast milk or formula

Using a food processor, grind the brown rice into a powder.
Then, peel the peach, remove the pit and cut the flesh into little cubes.
Bring the water to the boil in a small saucepan.
Stir in the rice powder, lower the heat and continue to stir.
Add the peach cubes, then - stirring often - simmer gently for 10 mins.
If the texture is too thick for your baby at the end of the cooking time, thin it with a little breast milk or formula. Breakfast is ready!

Baby's Brown Rice Pudding (6 months+)
2 oz (1/4 cup) cooked brown rice
2 dried apricots
2 tbsp apple juice
1/2 small, ripe banana
tiny pinch nutmeg
Before you start, soak the apricots in water for around an hour to soften them.
Then, put all the ingredients into a food blender and process until nice and smooth.
To adjust the texture of this brown rice pudding for your baby, just add a little more - or a little less - apple juice.

The following recipes give a 'lumpier' texture, so you may prefer to mash or puree these dishes for your baby. If the texture is a little too thick after pureeing, then add a little stock, water or juice to achieve the desired texture!

Apple And Pear Brown Rice(6 months+)

2 oz (1/4 cup) brown rice
4 fl oz (1/2 cup) apple juice
1 oz (1/8 cup) raisins
1/2 small apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 small pear, peeled, cored and chopped
Put all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
Stir well, then reduce the heat and cover with a tight fitting lid.
Simmer the mixture for around 30 mins - by the end of the cooking time, the rice should have absorbed all the apple juice and should be nice and tender.

Savoury Baked Brown Rice (6 months+)

Baking brown rice gives it a fluffier texture than boiling it - and it's very simple to do...

8 oz (1 cup) brown rice
12 fl oz (1 1/2 cups) water or homemade stock/broth
1 stick of celery (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F/180 deg C.
Pour the rice into a frying pan/skillet and, stirring constantly, warm over a medium heat until the grains turn golden brown. This step is entirely optional - but it makes the final result much more tasty!
In the meantime, chop the celery and saute until it's tender - this is another optional step but it really does flavour the rice and is a particularly important ingredient if you're only using water to cook the rice.
Combine the sauted celery, rice and water/stock in an oven-proof dish, cover and put in the oven.
Bake until the rice has absorbed all the water (35-45 mins).
Cool to a safe serving temperature and serve to your baby as a delicious side dish.

Yummy One-Pote Brown Rice Dinner (7 months+)
One pot cooking is ideal for busy Mums! Little preparation beforehand - and little to clean up afterwards! This easy dinner is nutritious and tasty - why not increase the quantities and serve it to the whole family?

4 oz (1/2 cup) brown rice
2 oz (1/4 cup) cooked chicken, cut into strips
8 fl oz (1 cup) homemade chicken stock or water
1 oz (1/8 cup)carrot, peeled and diced
1 oz (1/8 cup) broccoli florets
1oz (1/8 cup) courgette/zucchini,diced
2 oz (1/2 cup) grated Cheddar,Cheese
1/2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
little pinch of freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Pour the water/stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then add the rice, stir and bring back to the boil.
Cover the saucepan with a tight fitting lid, then reduce the heat to very low. Cook for 30 mins.
Briefly remove the lid and add the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese).
Put the lid back on and cook for 10 more mins, then remove from the heat.
Sprinkle with the grated cheese and set aside until cool enough for your baby.
You can chop this dish or mash it for your baby if the texture is a little too lumpy!

Brown Rice Caserole With Tuna (6 monyhs+)
5 oz (just under 3/4 cup) brown rice
10 fl oz (1 1/4 cups) water
4 oz (1/2 cup) celery, chopped
2 oz (1/4 cup) natural yogurt
4 fl oz (1/2 cup) milk (you can use breast milk/formula if you prefer)
little pinch dried tarragon
6 oz (3/4 cup) tuna canned in water
6 oz (3/4 cup)courgette/zucchini , diced
4 oz (1 cup) grated Cheddar
Bring the water to a boil and stir in the brown rice. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 35 mins. Remove from the heat.
Stir in the celery, milk, yogurt, tarragon, tuna and courgette/zucchini, then mix thoroughly.
Pour into a casserole and bake at 350 deg F/180 deg C for 30 mins.
Top with the grated cheddar and serve - yummy!