Rice milk is a good substitute for a familiar product. Of course, it is not too nutritious. If necessary, you can buy it in a store or cook it yourself. The reasons for refusing dairy products can be different: individual intolerance to milk proteins, life principles, allergies, and so on. Rice drink, by contrast, is hypoallergenic. It can be consumed even by those who are trying to exclude animal products from their diet. Moreover, such milk is no less useful.
How did the drink appear?
Moors' favorite drink was Orchad, or Orchata. This product was made, bringing relief from thirst, from chufa or earthen almonds. After some time, the recipe for an amazing drink became known to the Spaniards, as a result, the product gained popularity. After that, the drink became known in Latin America. However, for its preparation there were not enough ingredients, so the locals began to look for new ingredients to create a delicious drink. Initially, pumpkin and melon seeds were used for its preparation. After some time, the recipe has undergone changes. Almonds and rice attracted attention. So rice milk appeared.
Product Benefits
In the chemical composition of brown rice, fructose is absent, but sucrose is present. A drink made from this cereal is a product of exclusively plant origin. Therefore, the composition of such milk does not include lactose, as well as cholesterol. Rice milk, the recipe of which is described below, contains many useful ingredients. It is worth noting that a cup of the drink has a nutritional value of about 113 calories.
A glass of this wonderful drink contains about 12.6 grams of sugar, 0.67 grams of protein, 22 grams of carbohydrates, as well as 2.3 grams of unsaturated acids. In addition, in the composition of rice milk there are magnesium, copper, B6 vitamins, niacin. Many manufacturers supplement the drink with other components. Rice milk can be fortified and micronutrient rich. Calcium, vitamins A, D and B12 are often added to the drink.
The harm of rice milk
If desired, you can cook rice milk at home. However, do not forget that the product, in addition to useful properties, also has negative qualities. First of all, in the diet of newborn children, rice milk, even after fortification, is not able to replace cow. In infants, the use of such a product can cause a deficiency of B vitamins, as well as kwashiorkor. This is a children's pellagra, which occurs due to an excess of carbohydrates and a lack of protein.
In addition to the above, another property of rice milk was revealed. Studies have been carried out, as a result of which scientists proved that arsenic is contained in small amounts in the drink. The dosage of this substance in rice milk is completely safe for an adult, but for children whose age is no more than 5 years, this can cause severe poisoning.
How to cook rice milk?
A recipe with a photo will allow you to more accurately imagine the process of the appearance of this drink. First you need to prepare the products. To make rice milk you will need:
- brown rice - 100 grams (you can use white, but the exception is basmati);
- water - 1.5 liters;
- spices to taste.
The calorie content of the finished drink is not so great: 100 grams of the product is 58 kcal.
Cooking process
To make rice milk, it is necessary to soak the cereal in cold water and leave for eight hours. After that, you need to drain the liquid. Rice must be washed. Croup must be transferred to a blender and then chopped. It also needs to pour a little water. The result should be a paste.
The finished mass should be transferred to a container, preferably with a lid. After this, the mixture must be placed on a small fire. During cooking, rice with water should be constantly stirred. Otherwise, the drink will not work, because rice milk during cooking will gradually thicken and stick to the bottom of the container.
Mix the mass until it boils. After this, the drink needs to be boiled for about 12 minutes. In the resulting mass, small lumps will form that adhere to the walls of the container. It should be so.
Next steps
Rice milk is almost done. Now you need to add spices to the resulting mass. As a rule, a drink with cardamom, vanilla and cinnamon is prepared. To make rice milk more tasty, you can sweeten it with fructose or sugar.
The container with the drink must be tightly closed and left for 1.5 hours. After this, rice milk must be filtered and cooled. The product should be stored in the refrigerator. It is worth noting that the finished milk will be thick, so you can add a little water to it. This should be done immediately or before use. As for the amount of sugar or fructose, it all depends on the rice: the sweeter it is, the less sugar is needed.