Monday, March 16, 2009

Rice Rice Baby

We found this new rice at the farmers market, Massa brown rice. It is so tender and fragrant, I think it will become the household staple, replacing white rice. (How does this hippie whole-grain mania take over at such a late age? Well, I can tell you it's because the rice is really good.)
So we made chicken-rice soup. As far as you could get from Campbell's. Serious, deep, stock, seasoned with herbs and vegetables. Barnyard-tasting bits of real roasted chicken. And that rice.
Nice.

27 comments:

Zoomie said...

Massa rice is the best - that's what I use for my morning cereal now. It's alive!

Greg said...

Have to get my old body to the farmers market. But will be humming Vanilla ice ice baby for the rest of the afternoon

cookiecrumb said...

Zoomie: I learned about this rice from you. I owe ya.
Yes, it is alive. There are the occasional green grains mixed in, and I think they give the overall pot of rice a vivid flavor. But gentle.

Greg: I thought you went to the market all the time, and I just wasn't seeing you! :D
Sorry about the Vanilla Ice. Hope I didn't ruin your day.

Kailyn said...

Yum but now I have that song stuck in my head.

Anita (Married... with dinner) said...

Maybe I should bring you ours. Cameron won't eat the stuff :S

cookiecrumb said...

Kailyn: I can fix that. "I'm Being Followed By a Moon Shadow."

Anita: Is he against brown rice in general? I thought this stuff was pretty kind.

The Spiteful Chef said...

I'm going on the hunt. We probably don't have that here. The Poteet strawberry festival is in two weeks, though! Closest I'll get to Marin county...

limoncello said...

Massa's rice is so good I don't even bother with white rice anymore. And how can you not respect what goes into their endeavor?
I noticed that Globe restaurant calls out Massa on its menu - good for them! Slanted Door also names Massa, but I actually asked the server first time, because I was sure I recognized the taste and texture but hadn't seen it named on the menu; sounds crazy, but I *knew*. Massa also now sells wheat berries, which, paired with the rice, make a pilaf any latent hippie can love.

bb said...

I am so on that rice! We had some plain white rice tonight at with our pork vindalho, and it was.......okay. Now, when I grow up, I can be a whole grain eatin' hippie like you!

cookiecrumb said...

Spitey: I Googled Poteet, and the first hit was for the strawberry festival. Cute. What a funny name.

Limoncello: You have awesome detective abilities. Yeah, Massa does a pretty good job, earth-wise and people-wise. Sigh!
We love wheat berries from Full Belly Farm (having some for breakfast tomorrow), but I will certainly try Massa's.

BB: This rice is so unlike the yucky curdly dried-up brown rice of the hippie days of yore. It's soft and sweet and tender. Get some! You hippie-to-be. :D

Nancy Ewart said...

I have never heard of Massa rice - now I have something new to try out. And soup, glorious soup - one of my favorite things. Where can I buy this rice? I haven't seen it at the Farmer's Market at the Civic Center which is the one I go to.

limoncello said...

CC: How do you prepare the wheat berries for breakfast? I'm imagining cinnamon and nutmeg and raisins....
Is Full Belly at the Civic Center? I seem to know the name more from menus or something - not placing them as a vendor.

namastenancy, Massa's not at the UN farmers' market, but at the Ferry Plaza on Saturday and Marin Civic Center on Sunday. But you can buy the rice at the Village Market inside the Ferry Building, daily.

Ms Brown Mouse said...

I think the whole grain thing hits us as we get older because we start to worry about our "pipes" around then ;)
We don't get Massa rice here, that I have seen, just plain old ordinary brown rice from the rice cooperative, Sunrice. I'll be using it for our red beans and rice for dinner tonight.

Anna Haight said...

I love Massa rice too! I get it at the Sunday market, glad to hear the Ferry Building has a place with it available every day! I've been using it for over a year now.

Heather said...

I've never had massa rice, but there're oodles of new types at the Asian markets that I've been dying to try.

Ever try cooking brown rice under pressure? (get it?)

cookiecrumb said...

Nancy: Limoncello gives you a good answer on where you can find the rice (thanks, L).


Limoncello: Actually, I ate my wheat berries plain, with a tiny splash of the (salted) cooking water. They are very nice with a spoonful of yogurt and a drizzle of honey.
Full Belly comes to the Marin Civic Center only on Thursdays. Real nice stuff; great people.

Morgan: It could have something to do with one's plumbing. But I'm thinking I finally outgrew my childish aversions. And I love trying new things.
Red beans and brown rice! Sounds good.

Anna: I don't know why it took me so long to find them! We feel like buying extra bags to back up.

Heather: [i didn't get it, wah....]
Anyway, Massa is a local family farm in the Sacramento Valley. The rice is, well who knows what... it's brown. Light brown and very pearly, and so fresh.

Anonymous said...

I love Massa rice, too!!

I first discovered it last summer while visiting the DT Chico Certified Farmer's Market, and have been hooked ever since. I have since seen it stocked at the Village Market in the Ferry Building, for those who may miss the farmers market.

Happy Paddy's Day!!!

Cheers,

~ Paula

cookiecrumb said...

Paula: Chico! Well, that makes sense. I'm glad we have it closer to home. I'm jealous of all you smarties who found it first. Now I gotta hoard.
Happy St. Pat's!

limoncello said...

Wheat berries for brekkie, with just a splash of their salted cooking water...a drizzle of honey when you're walking on the wild side....*sigh*. I really imagined you'd say a scoop of brown sugar, a fistful of raisins, and a dousing of half-and-half.
This is like being in grade 4 and learning that OTHER people don't have Cap'n Crunch for breakfast, they eat tanbark. I mean shredded wheat. I'm so depressed.
(Sorry, dug out all my old Charlie Brown books on Sunday and have been reading them through, non-stop. "I'm so depressed" is a theme.)

CC: Hope you don't mind I answered about Massa avails - it was late, I was online.

Full Belly @ the Thursday market - maybe THAT'S it. I worked at Autodesk for half a year, and ducking out to the Thursday market was the highlight of my dull week. Antithesis of corporate cubie life.

cookiecrumb said...

Limoncello: I know, doesn't that sound spartan? I actually don't have a sweet tooth, though, so it's no struggle to skip the sugar.
Autodesk!

Cyndi said...

We've started eating a mixture at our house: 2 parts basmati brown, 1 part japonica black, and 1 part red (can't remember its specific name). Cooks up perfectly in our rice cooker. The Uncle Ben's converted is almost gone and won't be replaced; so the only white we have left is haiga. Thanks for the Cat Stevens song that's now in MY head.

cookiecrumb said...

Cyndi: We had a disaster in our rice cooker with this brown rice, but I think it's the cooker's fault, not the rice's.
Your rice blend sounds very nice. We're on to something; giving up white! Wow, a trend.
Here, let me help you: Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive.
You're welcome.

michael, claudia and sierra said...

delish sounding/looking

another fucking thing to mail order

cookiecrumb said...

ceF: I recommend it. I'd hate to see your AmEx bill (all those shipping charges, darn), but I'd like to know what you think of the rice.

michael, claudia and sierra said...

so get this. my friend heidi from life in recipes from cleveland is here for the week and what did she bring me as a little gift, you ask? MASSA RICE !!!

no shit...

cookiecrumb said...

ceFRET: Amazing! You know what they say -- Put your desires out there to the universe. Lucky you, and I didn't know Massa was national!

Greg said...

We're definitely not national, but we do take orders on our website and ship nationwide. BTW, I'm loving all these comments! Thanks everyone!