Brownie points

I’ve often thought that in past life I must have been Asian.

No I don’t love karaoke or hello kitty. I’m hopeless at tai chi and my skin is whiter than rice. But when it comes to Asian food: 箸を渡しなさい (pass me the chopsticks).


Rice has always been my family’s staple carb. For some families its potatoes, for some its pasta, for mine it is rice. Our weekly meal plan was a constant rotation of stir-fries and curries, always accompanied by our favourite carbohydrate.
Recently I’ve found a new healthy version of my old love: brown rice.

White rice is simply brown rice with the bran layer removed. Removing the bran and polishing the grain gives rice that shiny, pristine white appearance. It also reduces cooking time and increases shelf life. On the downside in removing that bran layer you remove a whole lot of lovely, useful nutrients.

The bran layer is packed with fibre. One cup of brown rice has approximately 3.5 grams of fibre while one cup of white rice has less than 1 gram. The main function of fibre is to keep the digestive tract functioning effectively. Basically it makes sure your pipes don’t get blocked- which is always a good thing if you ask me. It can also aid in lowering cholesterol, prevention of colon cancer and regulating blood sugar levels.

Brown rice also contains significantly higher levels of Vitamins B1, B3, B6, iron and magnesium. These are all great for keeping your energy levels up, muscles strong and maintaining a healthy heart.

As I mentioned earlier I love Asian food. Japanese is probably my favourite cuisines and I could live off sushi. So what could be better than the normal sushi? You guessed it: brown rice sushi!
Today on our lunch break the lovely Elisse and I went on a brown rice sushi mission.

Using the highest levels of technology available to us (our iphones) we tracked down three possible options. We honed in on the closest target; Sushi Gallery conveniently located in Toorak and pounced.
This delightful little store is situated just off Toorak road down a cute thoroughfare. Often I don’t rate the ambience at sushi stores and usually opt for the takeaway option. But the vibe here was cheerful and friendly. We sat outside in the sun on red and white leather cubes. This is definitely one of the more aesthetically pleasing sushi stores in Melbourne.

Unfortunately we arrived just after the lunchtime rush so our brown rice options where limited. I had the tuna and avocado roll and it was delicious- fresh and flavoursome just as sushi should be. The chef was happy to cut it up and offer me numerous extras including ginger, wasabi, sweet and sour sauce or a ‘special’ sauce free of charge.

I also had a rice paper roll and one naughty steamed dim sum. Amazing.

At $7 for the lot I was very satisfied.


Honourable brown rice sushi mention:

Yes Sushi: 169 Bay St Port Melbourne.
These guys offer an abundant array of brown rice sushi options and smaller seaweed salads. Well-priced and cheerful service.





To try soon:

Kappayana: 223 Johnston St, Abbotsford

Yes Sushi: 620 Collins St, Melbourne

Yes Sushi: 398 Smith St, Collingwood