From The Straits Times    |

Brown is the new white when it comes to the Asian staple, rice. The nutty grain is moving out of the realm of health food and vegetarian eateries, showing up in hawker centres, hotels and restaurants.

Healthy Carbs, a Japanese food stall which opened in February at Lau Pa Sat food centre, serves brown rice sets with teriyaki chicken and saba fish.

At Healthy Kopitiam in Yishun Community Hospital, which opened in December last year, all 10 stalls offer brown rice options for dishes ranging from chicken rice to ayam penyet (smashed fried chicken) to economy rice.

Last month, the Pan Pacific Hotels Group, which runs five hotels including Pan Pacific Singapore, announced that guests can opt for brown rice without extra charge at its restaurants and for room service meals.

Eateries say there is a growing demand for brown rice as diners are becoming more health-conscious.

Brown rice is a type of unpolished wholegrain rice that has its bran layer and germ intact, so that the grains are packed with nutrients such as zinc and iron.

A 200g bowl of brown rice contains four times more dietary fibre and vitamin E, and more than two times the amount of potassium, as the same amount of white rice, says Ms Natalie Goh, 44, chief dietitian of Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.

She adds: “Wholegrain foods, like brown rice, contain a higher amount of dietary fibre, which slows glucose absorption from the small intestines into the bloodstream, and promotes satiety, the body’s signal to the brain that it is full.”

Last month, the Health Promotion Board put the spotlight on the risk of diabetes being heightened by consuming starchy white rice.

Ms Joanna Chan, director of its Obesity Prevention Management Division, says: “In our fight against diabetes, we want to grow the awareness among Singaporeans on the need to improve the carbohydrate quality in our staples, by replacing refined rice and noodles with wholegrain versions.”

The board is advocating replacing at least one-fifth of a bowl of white rice with brown rice.

It is also working with food manufacturers and dining outlets to offer more wholegrain options.

Currently, more than half of over 1,600 eateries under the board’s Healthier Dining Programme offer wholegrains in their menus.

 

HAWKER STALLS

restaurants hawkers that sell brown rice singapore - healthy carbs

Image source: Azmi Athni for The Straits Times

HEALTHY CARBS

Choose brown rice or soba noodles for its six dishes, including teriyaki chicken, saba fish, beef and salmon (from $5.50). Each set comes with seven types of vegetables such as purple cabbage, cherry tomatoes and broccoli.

Where: Lau Pa Sat, 18 Raffles Quay, stall No. 18, open: 10am to 10pm daily

restaurants hawkers that sell brown rice singapore - kopitiam steamed chicken brown rice

Steamed Chicken Brown Rice from Healthy Kopitiam. Kenneth Goh for The Straits Times

HEALTHY KOPITIAM

This six-month-old foodcourt is one of the two Healthy Kopitiam outlets run by the Kopitiam chain. All 10 stalls offer four Healthier Choice dishes, which have been approved by the Health Promotion Board and contain less than 500 calories.

These dishes come with a brown rice option. They include steamed chicken brown rice ($3.20, pictured), yong tau foo ($4.10), economy rice (from $2.50 for two vegetables and rice) and ayam penyet ($5.20). There is a 30-cent discount for diners who order dishes with brown rice or brown rice vermicelli.

Where: Yishun Community Hospital, 2 Yishun Central, 02-01, open: 6am to 10pm daily

Info: Go to www.kopitiam.biz

restaurants hawkers that sell brown rice singapore - jumi's kitchen

Jumi’s Kitchen. Image: Gin Tay for The Sunday Times

JUMI’S KITCHEN

Some dishes have brown rice mixed into them, such as nasi lemak (from $3) and nasi padang (from $3.50, includes a choice of chicken masak merah or mutton rendang, begedil and sambal goreng). The stall also sells nasi briyani on Tuesdays (the dish, from $4.50, will return to the menu on July 19, after Ramadan).

Where: Block 318 Jurong East Avenue 1, PDSS 318 Cafeteria, stall No. 3, open: 7am to 2pm daily

Info: Go to www.instagram.com/jumiskitchen

 

HOTELS

ORCHARD HOTEL

From July 1, Cantonese eatery Hua Ting will serve a brown rice version of its popular fried rice dish. It includes diced vegetables and crispy conpoy ($20).

At Claymore Connect, Hua Ting Steamboat will add a five-grain rice porridge soup base that includes red rice ($20 a pot) from next month.

Since the start of the year, guests have been able to switch to brown rice for free at Orchard Cafe and in-room meals.

Where: 442 Orchard Road

Info: Go to www.millenniumhotels.com/en/singapore/orchard-hotel-singapore

restaurants hawkers that sell brown rice singapore - pan pacific eight treasures

Image: Healthy Eight Treasures Rice from Si Chuan Dou Hua

PAN PACIFIC HOTELS GROUP

All 12 eateries in the group’s five hotels offer a complimentary brown rice or mixed rice option for a la carte rice dishes. This also applies to room service meals. The buffet lines also serve steamed brown rice.

Next month, Si Chuan Dou Hua at Parkroyal on Beach Road will debut its Healthy Eight Treasures Rice (pictured, from $24), which includes brown rice fried with ginkgo nuts, dried scallops and purple sweet potato. It is created as part of Singapore Restaurant Week, which has a healthy eating theme this year.

Where: Various hotels including Pan Pacific Orchard and Parkroyal on Beach Road

Info: Go to www.pphg.com

REGENT SINGAPORE

Earlier this month, the Summer Palace restaurant introduced a gluten-free a la carte menu, which has dishes such as Fried Brown Rice with wolfberries, pine nuts, mushrooms and diced kai lan ($22), while Italian cafe Dolcetto by Basilico serves steamed salmon with brown rice and broccoletti ($21).

Where: 1 Cuscaden Road

Info: Go to regenthotels.com/regent-singapore

 

RESTAURANTS

AEIOU

The cafe has been offering brown rice since it opened in January last year. Its new set lunch ($19.90) offers sriracha roast chicken with brown rice.

Where: 111 King George’s Avenue, open: 11am to 10pm (Tuesday to Thursday); 11am to 11pm (Friday); 10am to 11pm (Saturday); 10am to 9pm (Sunday), closed on Monday

Info: Call 6291-2698 or go to aeiou.sg

restaurants hawkers that sell brown rice singapore -crystal jade fried mixed grain rice

Image: Fried Mix Grain Rice in Hot Stone Pot from Crystal Jade

CRYSTAL JADE

Three of the Chinese restaurant chain’s outlets serve brown rice dishes: Crystal Jade Golden Palace in Paragon has Fried Mix Grain Rice With Prawn Bits ($24); Crystal Jade Prestige in Marina Bay Link Mall serves Fried Mix Grain Rice With Seafood ($26); and Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao, which has outlets in Bugis Junction and Holland Avenue, has Fried Mix Grain Rice In Hot Stone Pot ($11.80, pictured).

Info: Various opening hours, go to www.crystaljade.com

KOJI SUSHI BAR

Besides white rice, this Japanese restaurant serves a 12-grain rice blend for its donburi (rice bowls) for an extra $1. The rice bowls include chirashi don ($18++).

Where: 3 Pickering Street, 01-42, open: 11.30am to 3pm, 6 to 10pm daily except Sunday

Info: Call 6225-6125 or go to www.kojisushi.com.sg

QIJI

The casual chain has switched to using brown rice bee hoon for its laksa (from $4.20) and brown rice yellow noodles for its mee rebus (from $4). Earlier this year, it also introduced brown rice lontong ($4.50) at its Century Square and National University Hospital outlets.

Where: 12 outlets, including 2 Tampines Central 5, Century Square, 01-36B

Info: Various opening hours, go to www.qiji.com.sg

 

A version of this story was originally published in The Straits Times on June 26, 2016. For more stories like this, head to www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle.