The epic sushi rolls at your favorite local spot, your grandmother’s masterful Arancini di Riso, the burritos at La Taqueria in San Francisco—they all have one essential component in common: brown rice.

If you think of brown rice as a simple pantry grain to keep on hand just in case you need to soak up some sauce, well, you’re not wrong. There’s no wrong way to eat it. Its versatility is part of its charm—as essential to a Korean BBQ as it is to a taqueria as it is to a “what do I have in the house?” stir-fry. It spans cultures, culinary styles, and tastes. It holds up to pretty much any flavor. It adds much-needed texture and heartiness to dishes. In essence, brown rice transforms almost anything into a meal.

Here we take a glance at five inspired ways to enjoy Thrive Market’s new sprouted brown rice—all fun to make and even more fun to eat.

Pick up a bag today and see where the grain can take you.

Co-directors: Merce Muse, Paul Delmont, Ella Ciamacco
Producer: Alicia Cho
Photography: Alicia Cho
Copywriting: Megan Martin