People search the world over for beauty secrets from other cultures, and rice water may just be one of them. This ancient Asian secret, the water remaining in the pot of boiled rice, has been used for centuries as a hair and skin treatment and even taken internally for health benefits.
METHOD OF PREPARATION:
I don’t know about your cooking but the last time I made rice, all the water was absorbed, and I was left with my perfectly cooked rice. So obviously you have to go about making rice water differently, using way more liquid than rice requires.
Put two or three tablespoons of whatever white rice you have on hand — simple white, sushi rice, jasmine or basmati for example — into a small saucepan and add two cups of water. You can try purified or distilled water or regular filtered tap or bottle water.
Don’t add butter or salt. It’s the starch from the rice we’re after, not added ingredients. Boil for 20-30 minutes until the water becomes a milky white liquid. Some people don’t even bother with the boiling and instead simply soak the rice for 30 minutes. However, some proponents insist that boiling draws out more of the starches from the rice into the water.
Regardless of your method, strain the rice after the allotted time, reserving the water. You may be able to use the rice in recipes like soups or for sushi, otherwise discard. Cool the rice water and store in a glass jar with lid. Keep in the refrigerator up to four days.
Health benefits:
Provides energy.
Successfully prevents gastroenteritis.
Excellent in preventing cancer.
Regulates body temperature.
Prevents and cures constipation.
Cosmetic benefits:
If you wash your face with rice-water, your skin will be softer.
It is an excellent tonic replacement.
Assists in the closed pores on face.
If you wash your hair with rice-water you will make it shinier and healthier.