I’m into eating with high protein in my food these days. The next logical step after trying the Konjac version of rice, which is pretty much zero calorie, and not really my cup of tea, was try the actual protein rice. I got some from MyProtein, and gave it a whirl.
It’s made from vegetable proteins with durum wheat semolina, so unlike water noodles (konjac) which are slimy, rubbery, and have a bit of a fishy smell uncooked, actual protein rice looks more like regular rice. The konjac rice and I didn’t get on at all. Not one little iota…..
Protein rice isn’t quite like the rice you’re used to though, as it’s a different size and shape. It’s a little shocking after being cooked too, but the taste and texture is very much like rice, so is much more pleasing to me as an additive to my food.
Per serving or 50g, there is 172 calories and a whopping 30g of protein. Yes, it’s tempting to go the konjac route and have almost zero calories, but I just couldn’t sacrifice the rice texture for lack of calories. The picture above is uncooked, and yes, it does very much resemble rice, but with larger grains.
The cooked version does give you a bit of a surprise as it expands far more than I was expecting. It looks like little grains of nuts, but the texture is very ricey. I threw in a few pinches of chilli powder to the pot while my rice bubbled for the 9 minutes it takes to cook.
To make this a full meal, I cooked some mince with onions and carrots, added chilli powder and nutmeg to the cooking mince and served it up for supper. Full marks for a simple meal, and one that’s packed full of goodness.
I liked it so much, I just went and bought a few boxes…..
I am with you on the Konjac. I tried some noodles and “disgusting” is putting it mildly. I think there is no point eating something you don’t like just because it’s low calorie.
Although it wouldn’t increase the protein, one thing I do to lower the amount of calories I eat with rice (and contribute to my 5 a day) is half the quantity I cook, then the appropriate number of minutes before the end of cooking time, I add in frozen peas or edamame beans. That way it feels like I’m eating as much rice but I’m not.
I can’t get over how rubbery Konjac is. I thought I could cope with the noodles, although the rice was awful, but I’ve tried it since, and just can’t. I’d rather have a little of the real stuff and forget loads of the fake kind. I’ve read loads of reviews where people rave about it, and just don’t get that.