The traditional way to cook rice

Countries in Asia cook rice using two different methods:

1. Using a rice cooker: This special pot is designed to cook rice. In this method, the rice is washed and loaded in the cooker with water. The ratio typically used is 1 cup water with 1 cup rice. The cooker keeps the rice warm until it is ready to be eaten.

2. In a pot: A pot is used if you do not have a rice cooker available. Apply a ration of 1:1, rinse the rice and cook. However, unlike the rice cooker, in this method, an external heating source is used. To soften, the rice usually takes about 30 minutes. With this method though, wait for the water to dry out before lowering the heat. This will prevent the bottom portion of the rice from becoming overcooked.

Counting calories

One cup of cooked white rice contains around 204 calories, so when halved, you will only get 102 calories in a one cup serving. Here are the nutritional facts of rice:

Cooking rice for less calories

This cooking process will reduce calories in half. Here is the secret to the cooking process:

1. Add coconut oil to the boiling water. Prior to doing so, weigh the amount of rice you are cooking and add 3 percent of that weight in coconut oil.

2. Place the rice in the pot and let it cook as usual.

3. When done, place the rice in the refrigerator and let it cool for about 12 hours before eating.

This method of cooking rice was discovered by a student at the College of Chemical Sciences in Sri Lanka, together with his professor. The two individuals have been looking into rice and seeking to discover the possibility of changing its starch content, by looking into its chemical background. But, what makes this method work?

Our food generally consists of two types of starches: digestible and resistant starches. Cooking rice in the traditional way promotes digestible starches - starches that the body can easily digest, which consequently speeds up the conversion of starch to glucose and then energy. While this may seem like a good alternative, if the energy is not used up, the glucose will turn into fat and will be stored in the body, adding to your overall weight.

Therefore, to make rice more weight loss friendly, the digestible starch is turned into resistant starch which occurs due to the introduction of the lipids in coconut oil and the immediate cooling of the rice. The lipids interact with the rice, turning the digestible starch into resistant starch. What's more, the immediate cooling fortifies the production of the resistant starch, making each serving healthier.

How healthy is this method of cooking rice?

It's called resistant starch because the body has a hard time digesting it. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. The slow burn means that the transition between carbohydrates to glucose to energy is slow, which means that there is a good chance you will be burning off all the energy as it is released in the body. Therefore, this conversion process makes it possible for people to delay the release of calories. What's more, you will feel full and energetic during the day, and possibly, less hungry too.

So what are you waiting for? Give this method a go and see how it can work for you.