Easy-cook rice, which is sometimes called parboiled or converted rice, is steamed before it is milled. The whole grain is steamed under pressure, which hardens it so that it will not break down during cooking. Easy-cook rice cannot be over-cooked and the grains will always remain separate. But, in general, this rice is considered inferior in taste to ordinary long-grain rice varieties because some people find the texture unpleasantly chewy.
There are, however, some nutritional benefits to this process: all the mineral and vitamin content of the outer layers of the grain that are normally removed in the milling process are pushed into the center of the grains.
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Asian Recipes **
