As a part of this week's ethical eating kick, Kazu Kokeida, founder of Anna Maya, shares her favorite brown rice recipe with us.

Kazu Kokeida believes that food has a 'self healing power' and that the most powerful food of all is brown rice. Brown rice has three times the fiber and minerals and four times the amount of vitamin B1 and B2 as white rice. It also promotes digestion and metabolism, and may help prevent cancer.

Genmai Omusubi (Brown Rice Ball)

Ingredients: Brown rice (2 cups), natural spring water (3 cups to 1 cup of rice), black sesame (3 small spoons), sea salt (1 small spoon), coriander (2 stems), sunflower seed or walnuts (1 small spoon) and an earthen pot.

Instructions:
1. Wash brown rice, leave it in water for 1-3 hours.
2. Put the pan over the heat and bring to boil over a medium flame. When water is boiling, turn fire all the way down, cover and steam for 40-50 minutes.
3. Turn the fire on high for 30 more seconds then shut off
4. Let sit for 20-25 minutes.
5. While steaming, prepare topping.
a. Heat frying pan with strong fire and add sea salt. After 10-15 minutes when the salt water of salt is evaporating and becomes yellowish, take off fire and grind.
b. Fry black sesame in the heated frying pan. After the sesame begins to swell and become fragrant, add them to the sea salt and continue and grind together for 15-20 minutes.
c. Chop coriander and nuts into small pieces.
6. Scoop rice into a rice bowl and add coriander and nuts
7. Leaving a pinch of sea salt on the palm, start grasping the rice with both hands, palms facing diagonally from each other and fingers crossing.
8. Last, sprinkle sesame and salt over the rice ball.

Extra tips: Change the topping of the rice balls as you like. Other ideas include: umeboshi (sour plum), corn, seaweed, miso and other seasonal vegetables.

Will you be trying the recipe at home? Let us know how you go and leave a comment below.

Read more about eating right in Shanghai. See our article about organic food in China.