A method of producing parboiled rice that does not require waste water
treatment equipment and that enriches the amount of .gamma.-aminobutyric
acid contained in the parboiled rice. The method includes partially
milling raw material brown rice, wetting the partially milled rice grains
by forced-air using moist air or mist, moisture-tempering the wetted rice
grains, steam-boiling the water-tempered rice grains at normal pressure
to heat the rice grains with steam, steam-boiling the rice grains heated
in the normal pressure steam-boiling process using pressurized steam,
cooling the rice grains steamed under pressure in the pressurized
steam-boiling step to cool at least a surface of the rice grains, finish
milling the rice grains cooled in the cooling step, and drying the
finish-milled rice grains.