« Meatless Mondays: Fall Vegetables in Red Wine Sauce | Main | 2 healthy breakfast recipes you MUST try » 
Have you tried black (aka purple) rice?
February 8, 2010
Since I just bought some purple rice for the first time in my life yesterday, I thought I’d share the experience with you.
I love rice. I love jasmine scented Thai rice, I love Italian Arborio rice, I love brown rice, I love wild rice (okay, not technically rice, but more of a grass that blooms), I love red rice and I even will enjoy parboiled rice a couple times a year. I’ve been eating rice as long as I’ve been eating hot peppers.
The native rice dish from my part of the world originated in Africa and came to South America, Central America and the Caribbean from slavery. It’s one of the rare dishes that most people who have any black and/or Hispanic heritage eat: rice and red beans!
My rice and beans is a much healthier option than what my grandmother use to prepare. She had this habit of double frying the beans after they had boiled and before adding the rice to the mixture. She used to add spices to the fried beans to make them stand out even more and they were incredibly delicious.
I remember waiting patiently for her to finish double frying the beans because she’d always serve me a little portion on the side.
I don’t double fry my beans. I simply boil them, reserve some of the dark coloured water and once I’ve drained the rest of the water, I add my rice. I will also add chunks of tomatoes and pieces of onions in my rice and beans.
Since my history and love for rice goes way back, I was super excited to try black rice!
>>>What is black/purple rice?
Before cooking this rice, it’s black, but when you put it into a pot to cook, it turns a deep-dark-purple colour. It’s sometimes referred to as “forbidden rice”.
It’s black on the outside because the bran that coats the rice is black. The rice turns a purple colour because of the anthocyanin found in the rice. You can get a lot of fibre from eating this rice as well as minerals such as iron. This rice has a strong nutty flavour to it. They are often eaten just like normal rice but they’re also used for desserts.
>>> How do you cook black/purple rice?
This is a recipe for purple sticky rice to be used as a dessert, puddings and rice balls.
1) Rinse the rice 2-3 times until the water runs clear
2) Put the rinsed rice into a bowl and fill it with cool water. Make sure the water is 2-3 inches above the rice.
3) Leave the rice in the water for 6-8 hours.
4) Drain the rice and then place it in cheesecloth.
5) Wrap the rice up with the cheesecloth and then place it in a steaming basket.
6) Put 6-8 cups of water into a sticky rice steamer and bring it to a boil.
7) Place the steaming basket in the sticky rice steamer. (Make sure the bottom of the basket doesn’t touch the water.
#8) Take a standard 8-inch lid to put loosely on top of the basket.
9) Steam the rice for 45 minutes or until it’s tender.
Source: Purcell Mountain Farms
>>> Where do you find purple rice?
For now, I’ve only seen it sold at natural health food store and certain stores that sell food in bulk.
You could also order black rice on Amazon or you can find the same brand, Lotus Foods, at Whole Foods.
>>> A few good sites to check if you want to know more:
2) More of the scientific facts of black rice
Photo of purple rice in a bowl from Epicurious
© All copyrights reserved to http://www.eatsmartagesmart.com in all countries.
>>>> If you’re viewing this healthy eating or healthy living tip as part of an aggregated content stream from different sites, or as a re-blogged post, please check out the content on the original Web site at www.EatSmartAgeSmart.com
Deli.cious
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Digg This
