Multigrain Rice
Gut-nourishing, high in protein and fibre
Stop fearing your favourite carbs! By pairing fluffy basmati rice with nutrient-dense lentils, beans, and super-grains, you turn ordinary rice into a slow-release, gut-healing, muscle-building powerhouse. Mixing a big batch of grains, soaking them together, and cooking in vegetable stock, bone broth, or water creates the ideal nutrient-rich base for meal prep, bowls, and hearty curries.
Before you start
Get your mise en place ready so nothing catches you out mid-cook.
Method
- 1
Combine & Soak
In a large bowl, combine 1.5 cups parboiled basmati rice, 1 cup mixed quinoa, ½ cup whole lentils, ½ cup green mung beans, and ½ cup small adzuki red beans. Stir to distribute the grains evenly.
- 2
Cover generously with cool water (at least 5 cm above the grain line) and stir in ⅛ tsp baking soda if you have hard water. Leave to soak for at least 3 hours, or ideally overnight (8–12 hours) at room temperature.
- 3
Rinse & Drain
Pour the soaked grains into a fine-mesh colander, drain away the soaking water, and rinse thoroughly under cold running water until the water runs clear.
The rest of this recipe
There's 5 more ingredients and 4 more steps to go.
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Ivana’s note
Why Different Grains Cook Evenly Together: Normally, whole beans take 45+ minutes while quinoa cooks in 15 minutes. The overnight soak is the great equaliser: it pre-hydrates and softens the dense beans and lentils all the way through, allowing everything to finish cooking together in just 18–22 minutes.
The Secret to Avoiding Mushy Rice: Use low-GI parboiled basmati (Golden Sella). Parboiled basmati undergoes a steam-pressure treatment in the husk before milling, meaning the starch granules stay intact. Even after an overnight soak, each grain remains separate, firm, and fluffy rather than turning mushy or starchy.
Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Instructions: Drain the soaked grains thoroughly. Add to the inner pot with a 1:1.75 ratio of liquid (1 cup dry equivalent to 1¾ cups liquid). Secure the lid, seal the valve, and cook on Manual High Pressure for 4–5 minutes. Allow a 10-minute natural pressure release (NPR) before turning the valve to vent, then fluff with a fork.
Rice Cooker Instructions: Add the soaked and drained grains to the bowl with liquid at the 1:2 ratio. Use the standard "White Rice" cycle—do not use the "Brown Rice" or "Multigrain" cycle, as the overnight soak already did the work of pre-softening the legumes.
Protein Boost: Cooking this mix in rich bone broth or chicken broth adds flavour and yields approximately 13–14 g of complete plant and collagen protein per 1.5-cup serving.
Always check that you buy WHOLE lentils, never split lentils (dal)! Split lentils cook down in 10 minutes and will turn your whole pot into thick dhal soup.
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