Diary of a Diabetic 2 : A New Hope Named Rico

 A friend and colleague invited me to the launch of a new product, touted to be perfect for pre-diabetics, diabetics, and weight watchers. It is called RICO Corn Rice.   It is an alternative to rice, with more nutrition than rice itself had, and none of the conditions that too much consumption of rice could cause.

As a rabid white rice lover and eater, this pronouncement left me incredulous and unbelieving.  I began to dismiss the notion, saying colored rice is tasteless.  If it ain't white, it ain't right!

I had tried brown, red, black, and purple rice, and even a combination of these.  Each spoonful was a mouthful, devoid of the aroma and the flavor of polished, unhealthy rice.  The thought of giving this up filled me with rebellion...if I had to die anyway, I would rather die happy, rather than healthy but miserable.

My friend said this was different, and that I had to try it before passing judgment. 
What it is....

RICO Corn Rice, as the name claims, is rice shaped corn, made from 100 per cent Philippine grown corn, "fortified with iron, calcium," naturally rich in beta carotene, and lutein.  It looked like rice, tasted like rice, but was really corn, with all the nutritional features and advantages of corn, namely, that it was cholesterol free, rich in fibre, and had low glycemic index to control and balance blood sugar.

 

Honestly it looked like saffron laced rice, the kind one serves as paella, or Java rice, or even Yang Chow fried rice with organic double yolk eggs, or herb enriched arborio rice.
It could be prepared two ways: option 1, would be to Boil, Pour, and Simmer; and option 2, would be to cook it like pasta.  Both options insist that the rice grains must not be washed or soaked ahead of time. Option 1, dictated that water be brought to boil first, then the grains poured into the cooker, and then when cooked, left to simmer till ready to eat.  Option 2, dictated that water be boiled first, the grains poured in, and then drained, just like the noodles.  Option 2 would result in a looser, fluffier consistency.

Enough spin. Now was the time of reckoning...the cooking and sampling.  To drive home the delicious point, as a matter of speaking, and to leave nothing to chance, the gentle Chef Jessie Sincioco, formerly of the Intercon Hotel, Le Soufflé, and now Chef Jessie's restaurants, was tasked to study the product, experiment with it to create new as well as favorite dishes with it.

The results? Beyond belief. She took the grains and boiled, then fried, then oven popped them to create corn Rice Krispies, which she used in the salad, and in the dessert, the artfully plated crocant roll.  She then cooked the grains and fleshed out the minestrone, to show that the corn rice could be just as delectable as the traditional pasta.  And finally, to go with entrees of succulent roast chicken and very fresh yet tender fish fillet, she created a rice pilaf garnished with zucchini and corn kernels! The meal was light, healthy, yet ever so tasty.  I could not believe it was NOT rice, but corn rice!

The possibilities began to leap out at me...it did not only look like paella rice, it COULD be cooked into a paella, Java rice, or Chinese fried rice.  The Krispies could be a breakfast cereal, why not? Who knows, it could even be made into rice cakes, like Maja  Mais!   It was still like my favorite grain, only better...because it was healthier. Fibre, cholesterol free, and vitamins and all that!  It was still like my favorite grain, only I could eat as much as I wanted, and not worry about the inches piling on to my hapless body. It was like my favorite grain, only more value added, because I was not depositing money into a medical condition sometime down the road!  Truth be told, it was actually cheaper than most rice products, especially the Japanese rice I loved.

And my friend added a few non sequiturs to hammer in the nails to my acceptance...and assuage my rejection of my old favorite....  It was completely Philippine grown and made, in the strictest sanitized conditions that freed the grain of bacteria, weevils and insects, and the dreaded carcinogen, aflatoxins.  And patronizing RICO was chalking up a high for the Philippines, supporting local agriculture and industry, and a solution to stem the tide of needless imports of rice from countries that learned it from the Philippines in the first place.  Who was to say, perhaps RICO could someday be exported to the rest of the world?

Suddenly it dawned on me that here was a product that was good for me AND my countrymen, and perhaps the rest of the world!  I realized that the more I ate, the more the country would benefit, and goodness knows, this country needs good news, heroism, and hope.

It felt like Day 2 of my diabetic journey was now filled with a new hope...named RICO.