Researchers have developed a new technique of cooking rice that cuts calories. A cup of cooked white rice contains 204 calories, but the new cooking technique developed by researchers at the College of Chemical Sciences, Colombo, Western, Sri Lanka, cuts that into half.

The Sri Lankan researchers are aiming at curbing obesity in areas where rice is staple food. The new technique developed by them will not make you unhappy after having that extra rice. You would also not require to follow a no- rice diet to lose weight.

The researchers targeted resistant starch (RS) in the rice as its breakdown does not take place in the small intestine. This leads to absorption of starch by the body, which translates to lower calorie intake. In order to increase the RS, the researchers experimented with 38 kinds of rice.

Obesity has become a big health concern in many developing countries, which is why researchers want to find food-based solutions, Sudhair A. James, study leader from the College of Chemical Sciences, Colombo, Western, Sri Lanka, said in a press release.

"We discovered that increasing rice resistant starch (RS) concentrations was a novel way to approach the problem. If the best rice variety is processed, it might reduce the calories by about 50-60 percent", said James.

He added that many people do not like to eat cold rice and this would please them that even if they reheat the rice, the RX will not be able to come back to its original form.

James and his mentor have developed the innovative way of cooking rice that cuts down its calorie content by as much as 50%. James and his mentor added coconut oil in the boiling water before adding raw rice. After it was ready, they let it cool in the refrigerator for about 12 hours. James said that coconut oil changed the molecular structure of rice in such a way that starch took a healthier turn.