Trader Joe's Sprouted Organic California Rice

Sprouted rice has more amino acids than regular rice, and cooks up faster, too--or so claims Trader Joe's. I'm a bit dubious of the first claim: where do those amino acids come from, when the "sprouting" appears to be such a small amount that there is no shoot or root extended into soil?

I also can't verify the second claim. I usually follow cooking directions as precisely as I can when testing an item for the first time. I didn't do that here; I just dumped the stuff in my rice cooker as I would with any other rice. The machine doesn't know what kind of rice is in it, and just cooks until the pre-set amount of water has boiled off.

It turned out fine. It maybe could have used a little more cook time, as it was definitely al dente rather than truly soft. But neither Nina nor I minded the texture. It was definitely chewier and denser than plain white rice, or even plain brown rice. Nothing wrong with that.

It also has a more distinct flavor--more nutty and grainy. But I can't say that I liked it more than other kinds of rice. Different, but not better.


Will I buy it again? 

Probably not. At $2.99 for one pound, it's quite a bit more expensive than other rice, and I don't see enough advantage to pay that much extra. For comparison, TJ's has provided this handy guide to its rice varieties and their respective prices.

Nina's View

I liked this a lot. The chewiness and nuttiness were appealing. I like the color variation. It would work very nicely in a cold summer salad, maybe with beans and lentils and bell peppers and other goodies.

Try it.