Selecting whole grains and cooking tools, a step-by-step guide to making healthy and slimming porridge.

Learn how to easily make delicious, healthy, and slimming porridge

As the saying goes, "Even a clever cook can't cook without rice," but does having rice guarantee you can make a nutritious and delicious porridge? For experienced people, it might not be a big problem, but if you're a beginner, you'll need to learn some methods and tips.

There are many types of whole grains, do you know how to choose them?

To make a delicious and smooth multigrain porridge, the selection of raw materials is the most important step. Learning how to choose high-quality multigrains is also a skill that needs to be learned.

Look, touch, smell

The most important thing when making weight loss porridge is the ingredients. Selecting healthy and fresh whole grains will make delicious whole grain porridge. If your ingredients are not fresh or even have problems, the finished product will be greatly reduced, and the effect may even be affected.

The three main steps in selecting grains can be summarized as: look, touch, and smell.

Look: High-quality and pure grains should be in good condition in terms of appearance, such as being relatively uniform in size, plump, without insect holes, normal in color, and with good luster.

Touch: Touch the grains with your hands, or hold them in your hands (squeeze them, etc.). They should feel dry, natural, and have weight. They should not stick to your hands or stain your hands.

Smell: Place your hand close to your nose and smell the grains. Check if the smell is natural and normal, without any special, pungent, or rotten odor.

Some rice looks very fresh; you can tell just by touching it and smelling it. You can't judge ingredients by their appearance.

How to choose common whole grains

red beans

Darker red beans contain more iron and have better nutritional value; choose beans that are whole and uniform in size.

soy

The beans are golden in color, bright and glossy, plump and uniform in size, without any defects, pests or mold, and have a normal bean aroma.

green beans

The outer skin is waxy, the color is bright green, the grains are plump and uniform, with few broken pieces, no insects or impurities, and a light fragrance.

buckwheat

The grains are whole, plump, triangular in shape, and bluish-brown in color, with no odor.

Purple rice

The rice grains are long and slender, plump and uniform in size. Their appearance is purplish-white or purplish-white with small purple patches.

Millet

High-quality millet has uniform grain size and color, ranging from milky white, yellow, or golden yellow, with a glossy appearance, few broken grains, and is free from insects, pests, and impurities. It will not lose color when lightly rubbed between the fingers.

rice

High-quality rice has uniform grains, a glossy appearance, is relatively dry, and is free of rice weevils, sand, mold, and very few broken grains. It also has a pleasant aroma.

Job's tears

It is broadly oval or elliptical, milky white, with a smooth surface, a blunt and rounded top, a wider and slightly concave bottom, and a wider and deeper groove at the back. It has a slightly sweet smell.

brown rice

High-quality brown rice has a glossy appearance, is uniform in size, has a pleasant aroma, is not greasy to the touch, has no powdery residue, and is not easily broken.

Sticky rice

High-quality glutinous rice is snow-white and opaque, with large and plump grains that are uniform in size, have a fragrant aroma, and are free of impurities.

oat

The rice grains are flat and colored, slender, uniform in size, and hard in texture, with a slight aroma similar to nuts.

Black sesame

Normal black sesame seeds are flat and oval-shaped, with one end blunt and the other end pointed; they are black in color, but not too dark, and have a light fragrance.

sorghum rice

The seeds come in yellow, red, black, white (or grayish-white), and light brown colors. They are oval, obovate, or round, and vary in size.

broad bean

Peel open the pod; the seeds are flat, slightly oblong or nearly spherical, with green veins and a bean aroma.

Kidney beans

The color is bright and clear, the texture is full and the size is uniform, it has a bean aroma, and there is no damage or insect infestation.

sweet potato

The colors include light pink, purple, and dark red. The surface is hard, shiny, and clean, resembling a spindle shape, with no blemishes, cracks, sprouts, or small black spots.

To make porridge, you need to prepare the necessary tools.

To make a nutritious and delicious porridge, you'll need the right tools: a pot. So, which pot is the fastest for cooking porridge? Which pot makes porridge delicious, safe, and easy to cook?

Put rice and water in the inner pot and boil for about 15 minutes. Then put it in the outer pot, cover it, and you'll have soft and sticky white rice porridge the next day, at the perfect temperature.

It's more time-saving and labor-saving, but the amount of porridge shouldn't be too much; generally, it should be about 2/3 of the pot's capacity. Usually, the porridge will be cooked through in 3-5 minutes after the pot boils (when the safety valve releases steam). When cooking porridge in a pressure cooker, the water level should ideally be below 2/3 full.

Place the prepared rice in a clay pot, add water and bring to a boil until the rice grains begin to open up slightly. Then add the ingredients and seasonings, and cook for another 20-30 minutes. The resulting porridge is very delicious. After cooking, cover the pot and let it sit for about 15 minutes for an even richer aroma. Clay pot porridge is nutritious and safe, but the downside is that it takes a long time.

Cooking multigrain health and weight loss porridge

Almost everyone can learn to cook porridge, but to make it delicious and smooth requires certain skills. The choice of rice, the washing of the rice, and the control of the heat are all very important.

Key Point 1: Selecting Rice

The selection of rice has been introduced earlier, so I will not repeat it here. However, it is important to emphasize that it is best to choose new rice that is harvested only once a year.

Point 2: Rice Washing

Rinsing rice is a crucial step in cooking a good pot of porridge. When rinsing rice, it's best to use cool water, not too much water, and avoid soaking for a long time. Rinse only once or twice. Also, avoid using running water or hot water, and use as little water as possible. When rinsing the rice, gently move the grains with your hands; do not rub them vigorously, as this will cause the rice's nutrients to be lost. Allow impurities to settle, then discard the rice water.

Point 3: Cook in a pot

Put enough water in a pot, turn on the heat, and bring to a boil with the lid on. Once boiling, add the rice, cover the pot, and cook for another 90 minutes.

Point 4: Stirring

Stirring porridge while cooking serves two purposes: first, to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot; and second, to thicken it, ensuring each grain of rice is plump and soft. The correct method is: stir a few times when adding the porridge to boiling water, then cover the pot and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Continue stirring constantly until it reaches a thick consistency before removing it from the heat. Always stir in one direction.

Key Point 5: Controlling the Heat

When the porridge boils, the higher the heat, the better, as this makes it easier for the rice grains to "bloom." However, once the porridge boils, the heat should be reduced to between a simmer and a high flame (keeping the porridge boiling but not overflowing). This ensures the rice grains are heated evenly and have enough friction to gradually gelatinize, causing the porridge to thicken. This method avoids the "rice oil" from being too high and turning yellow, while also preventing the porridge from failing to gelatinize due to too low a heat.