In the spirit of research for my 500 word article on “Forbiden Rice” AKA Chinese Black Rice, I whipped up a batch in my own kitchen. How else to properly confirm other’s description of the “rich, nutty flavor”?
This falls into the “Authentic? No. Delicious? Yes.” category. The first recipe is a go-to for us with green beans – we just added shrimp with ultra-yummy-compete-with-take-out results. This is perfect for Chinese newbies. You can’t screw it up and it includes ingredients essential to have in the pantry if you are even considering cooking Asian food. The second recipe (modified from 101cookbooks.com) is a new one and worked just right in my darling, most-beloved rice cooker. No special steps necessary – just dump it in there and hit “play”.
Note: Fellow White Girl Rachel Ray also has a SGB recipe on this site. Though it’s rated higher by the masses, trust me when I say it’s inferior.
Forbidden Coconut Rice
2 cups black (“forbidden”) rice
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
C’mon rice cooker, you know what to do
Black rice is earthy and packs more of a flavor punch than white rice. It’s more of a stand-alone dish than a carrier for other dishes. The texture is firm and a little chewy – not sticky. Awesome change of pace; the taste is almost like wild rice but is a better match for Asian flavors. True – coconut milk is second only to butter and garlic if you want to make something bland or disgusting taste like a 5 star meal… so next time perhaps an experiment with just water. Most sources recommend rinsing the rice in 4 changes of clean water, but I’m only motivated enough to do one. Didn’t seem to hurt it any.
our own blog now.
Good luck!
Comments