Black rice
During the Ming dynasty in ancient China, back rice held a special, exalted place. Eaten only by the emperors and forbidden to the masses, it was known as forbidden rice. Black rice is a kind of sticky rice which has a black and purplish hue. There are many variants of this heirloom plant such as Indonesian black rice and Thai Jasmine Black Rice. Its dark purple color is primarily due to its anthocyanin content which makes it rich in antioxidants.
Black rice is high in nutritional value and contains 18 amino acids, iron, zinc, copper, carotene, anthocyanin and several important vitamins. The grain has a similar amount of fiber to brown rice and like brown rice, has a mild, nutty taste.
Black rice is quickly becoming the new “it” organic food as scientists believe that black rice could be the greatest “superfood.” According to a research, just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar, and more fibre and vitamin E antioxidants.
Black rice is available at Asian supermarkets and organic food stores. You can also purchase them online. Black rice is usually more expensive than other rice varieties due to a longer harvest cycle.
Compared to traditional rice, black rice takes longer to cook. Soaking helps reduce cooking time. For each cup of black rice, add 2 cups of water. Bring to boil and simmer covered on low heat. Make sure that soaked rice is cooked for 30 minutes while unsoaked rice would need atleast 1 hour to cook properly.
It is suitable for making porridge and it can also be used for making dessert, traditional Chinese black rice cake, bread and so on.
Source: www.wikipedia.org, www.foodconsumer.org
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During the Ming dynasty in ancient China, back rice held a special, exalted place. Eaten only by the emperors and forbidden to the masses, it was known as forbidden rice. Black rice is a kind of sticky rice which has a black and purplish hue. There are many variants of this heirloom plant such as Indonesian black rice and Thai Jasmine Black Rice. Its dark purple color is primarily due to its anthocyanin content which makes it rich in antioxidants.
Black rice is high in nutritional value and contains 18 amino acids, iron, zinc, copper, carotene, anthocyanin and several important vitamins...
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