"Steemit Engagement Challenge Season5 Week3 : My Star Ingredient is: Rice

I would like to tell you here that I gave up poultry and meat a long time ago, although it was not for any medical reason. So, I could have chosen any of the other nine options, but I chose rice from the options suggested by you. And one of the reasons for this is that I myself know many recipes for making rice.

I remember years ago when my wife, who didn’t eat much rice, was advised by her gynaecologist to eat rice to avoid constipation during pregnancy, because she was suffering from constipation anyway and on those days a little more than on normal days, so she often complained of extra pain.

It is okay that rice is a glutton-free diet that contains antioxidants that protect our cells from oxidative damage, so people think it is less harmful or that it can be more hypoallergenic. And that’s not all. You can extract water from cooked rice and use it for a variety of purposes, including starching your cotton clothes, conditioning your hair, using it as a skin care product, as well as light snacks.

And being a fitness freak, I know that if one eats rice before a workout; it provides extra carbohydrates to your muscles, whereas eating rice after a workout helps in repairing your muscles as it gets digested easily.

However, I suggest eating rice with the advice of your doctor or dietitian because if rice has benefits, then it also has side effects, especially on high blood pressure and diabetic patients.

I am not a doctor or beautician, but there are some basic things that we all know. When it comes to beauty, our girls here tell us that in almost all the beauty products they use on their faces, rice is one special ingredient in them. The reason for this is that fairness is a beauty symbol throughout Asia, and it is a common belief that using rice water is a good way to enhance beauty.

They feel this is a special secret behind their complexion. Rice water makes the skin clear and glowing. Rice water is full of healthy nutrients for the skin. And the best part is that you can make it at home with no special effort.

Skin care with rice water

One of the main reasons rice water is beneficial for the skin is that it is rich in many nutrients. It contains proteins, triglycerides, lipids, and starch, which prove to be helpful in improving your skin. Carbohydrates, inositol, phytic acid, and inorganic are its other compositions.

So rice water becomes a great beauty product. This is how it benefits your hair. Rice water makes the skin clear and smooth. Apart from this, it removes spots from the face and brightens the skin. Rice water is rich in antioxidants, so it acts as an anti-aging agent.

You can mix rice powder with honey and curd to make a face pack to remove facial wrinkles and acne. Apply the paste all over your face and neck area and wait for it to dry completely. Wash it off with normal water after fifteen minutes and see the difference. It will leave your skin soft and glowing.

When I was in Australia, because the amount of UV is too high, people there use it as a screen lotion. It is said that rice water has the power to protect you from sun rays and cure sunburn.

Rice water on oily skin provides skin tightening and toning effects.

Mix rice powder with honey and curd to make a face pack to remove facial wrinkles, nail-acne. Apply the paste all over your face and neck area and wait for it to dry completely. Afterwards, wash it off with normal water. It will leave your skin soft and glowing.

Hair Care

Long and beautiful hair is an important part of your beauty in enhancing your hair beauty. The rice water stops hair fall, early greying of hair, and dandruff. Rice water also acts as a perfect conditioner for the hair.

Cook rice the same way you would cook rice normally. Then, strain out the starchy water and let it cool completely before using. Store rice water in a spray bottle, which can be used directly on your skin.

I can prepare rice fritters, pulao, or biryani. I am giving you my favorite recipe for a dish before giving you the benefits of rice as a beauty and health product.

Vegetarian Pulao

I was 17 when I tried my first dish. It was our cook or mom that did all the cooking. Besides, I was in a hostel for a long time, so I did not get a chance to cook.

I learned to cook once my father was posted in a distant city and my mom went along. My younger brother and I learned a lot of cooking then.

I make mistakes in the kitchen, but not nearly as many as my wife believes. She feels I am a spoiler, so I should not enter the kitchen. She also thinks that I must not even touch or enter her kitchen. Maybe she says so to keep me away from cooking in her self-interest. Maybe she did not like my cooking skills, or maybe she thought I would dethrone her as kitchen queen, or maybe all of these combined!

How to make vegetables Pulao

It’s a rice dish known as pulao, or vegetable biryani. There is no fixed recipe for making this, but you can use any vegetable of your choice. The ingredients used are fine rice using one of the finest varieties of rice available, which we call Basmati quality, grown in particular areas. The older, the better.

Note: You cannot extract water from pulao.

Ingradiants

We use lots of onions, green peas, and sometimes homemade cheese, but not always. We use spices like cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamon pods, all well ground into powder form. This increases taste and gives a wonderful aroma. This increases the aroma of the spices and definitely makes the dish better and more delicious. We also use red pepper powder according to taste.

Process

Be careful with your rice. No extra water or extra or less cooking time, but that comes with experience, but the important thing is that the pulao is cooked perfectly. It should neither stick to the pot nor remain uncooked. Pulao is made with all varieties of rice, but Basmati and Sella are the best.

It might look like this, with a slight difference because this is not my cooking but borrowed from above source.

The recipe is simple

Soak the rice for one hour before cooking. In the meantime, prepare the vegetables. First, heat oil (we use butter oil) in a nonstick pot and fry the sliced onions for about 2-3 minutes. Then mix the potatoes cut into pieces, pieces of cauliflower, and beans, all cut to about 1" or so size, and fry them further for 2 minutes.

Now mix the spices and mix them well. Add a piece of ginger, a piece of garlic (depending on your taste), green peas, pieces of tomatoes, and rice. Use salt. Mix them well for 1 minute. By the way, some add pieces of carrot, garlic, etc., but I don’t.

In the meantime, mix in about half a cup of water and mix them well. Now pour more water into the mix (according to the rest of the ingredients) and close the lid. Maintain a low to medium flame at all times.

We cook them in a steam cooker and keep them on a low flame for 7–10 minutes, depending upon the variety of rice. I must remind you that the amount of water is important. In my case, I take the cooker off after three whistles. The experts have a fixed formula for water to rice ratio, but if I know how much water is sufficient and how long it will take to cook.

Once I open the lid of the cooker, I add green coriander, green chilies cut into small pieces, whole black pepper, and cloves (5-8). We sometimes use cashew nuts and raisins as an additive, but not always. Some people like to add lemon juice, but we don’t. It depends on an individual’s taste.

Serve them hot with curd, pickles, salads, and papad (a thin deep-fried dough made of different pulses).

Note: I am not an expert cook, so try my recipe at your own risk.

I Invite ma'am @lavanyalakshman and @doriscermeno27 to come join us with your own views and remarks.

15% profit @colombiaoriginal community