Ancient grains bring health, affordability to the table

If you’ve ever felt like you can’t possibly sort through all the health claims, fancy packaging and “new” food products to determine what’s healthful at the grocery store, take a step back and ask “How long has this food nourished humans?”

It might be a tricky questions to answer. But once shoppers realize that strawberry-flavored yogurt, for example, is a decades-old phenomenon compared with all-natural, plain yogurt, they’re on to choosing a more healthful, “whole” food.

Sharon Johnson, Oregon State University Extension professor, presented the topic of whole grains in a similar context for today’s Healthy Aging column. She encourages readers to learn more about and try some 20 grains often called “ancient.”

Referring to these grains as ancient doesn’t just establish their place in the history of humanity and its food supply. It’s a way of drawing a contrast between the nutritional value of grains that haven’t changed much in the millennia they’ve been cultivated and varieties that have been engineered for processing into food-like substances. Before there was genetically modified corn, there was hybridized wheat.

The fact that the average American diet contains large quantities of corn and wheat products means that we don’t enjoy much in the way of diversity. Eating ancient grains is one way to address that shortcoming. Yes, Sharon referred to wheat and corn as ancient grains, but the ones we’re eating today hardly resemble their predecessors, an important fact to note.

If you’re a regular reader, you’re no doubt familiar with this argument and my fondness for quinoa, millet and some other grains that Sharon mentioned. But my hands-down favorite among grains for its adaptability, quick-cooking quality and overall deliciousness is rice. While Sharon mentioned wild rice (actually an aquatic grass) in passing, she skipped the numerous varieties of true rices: long-grain, short-grain, brown, red and black, to name a few.

It seems like rice has gotten a bad rap in recent years on behalf of carbohydrate restricters everywhere. While brown rice certainly has more fiber and more of the nutritional properties associated with a whole grain, refined, white rice is hardly to blame for American weight gain. If it’s good enough for more than a billion Chinese (precious few of whom are overweight), it’s hardly a valid scapegoat. I’d propose that it’s all the deep-fried meat and sugar-laced sauce we’re putting on top of the rice that’s at fault.

Another reason cooks should embrace rice these days is its affordability. Unlike many other ancient grains like quinoa and millet that often are marketed in local stores only as organic foods, rice can be had for pennies a serving.

So here are a few recipes to try, including one for a favorite Indonesian dish, Nasi Goreng, which is fabulous with the addition of shrimp, chicken or lamb. All of these recipes, courtesy of The Associated Press, are ready in about 30 minutes.

And check out a few quinoa recipes posted at the newspaper’s Holiday 101 page. Not just appropriate for Passover, they’d be a welcome accompaniment to just about any meal.   

Nasi Goreng

Fragrant Coconut Rice With Edamame and Sweet Potatoes

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 cup peeled and diced sweet potato

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 (10-ounce) bag shelled edamame soy beans

11/4 cups jasmine rice

1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk

11/2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

In a large saucepan with a lid, heat the oil over medium-low. Add the sweet potato, scallions and ginger and saute until the scallions have softened, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the edamame, rice, coconut milk, lime juice, salt and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 15 minutes.

Use a fork to fluff the rice, then stir in the lime zest. If desired, serve topped with peanuts.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Chicken and Pistachio Fried Rice

2 to 3 scallions

2 to 3 ounces Chinese mustard greens

3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided

1 pound cooked (skinless) chicken breast

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sesame oil, divided

1 (2-inch) piece peeled ginger root, minced (1 tablespoon)

1 small clove garlic, minced to yield 1/2 teaspoon

2 cups cooked white rice, preferably cold

11/2 cups raw, unsalted pistachios, plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped, for garnish

1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted

2 to 3 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese mustard

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 cup (about 4 ounces) mung bean sprouts

Trim the root ends from the scallions; coarsely chop white and light-green parts (at least 1/4 cup). Wash, dry and cut enough of the mustard greens to yield 2 packed cups.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat until oil begins to smoke. While it is heating, shred the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken to wok or skillet and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until it is heated through and has picked up a little color. Transfer to a plate.

Add remaining peanut oil to wok or skillet along with 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil; when oil is quite hot, add the ginger and garlic; stir-fry for 10 seconds or until mixture is fragrant. Add the rice, pistachios, peas and scallions; stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Return chicken to the wok or skillet along with the oyster sauce to taste, 1/4 cup water, Chinese mustard and soy sauce; stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture is well combined and rice has picked up a nice brown color. Add 1 cup of mustard greens; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until they have wilted but are still a strong green color. Remove from heat.

Place remaining cup of mustard greens in a medium bowl. Add the remaining teaspoon of sesame oil and toss to coat evenly, then divide dressed greens among individual plates. Add fried rice on top of mustard greens or alongside; garnish with the chopped pistachios and bean sprouts. Serve hot.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.