Black rice, known as the ‘forbidden rice’ has more health benefits than most rices, even brown rice.
It’s not a very popular rice, because thousands of years ago in ancient China, noble Chinese men took possession of every grain of black rice, banning consumption by anyone who was not royalty.
The crop was grown in very limited quantities, so the common people were not allowed to grow or consume it. That’s why it’s called ‘the forbidden rice.’ It was introduced to America only in the 1990’s. Now, no longer ‘forbidden,’ black rice can be consumed anywhere in the world, and you can find black rice in any health food supermarket and or Asian supermarkets nowadays.
Black rice is rich in antioxidants, dietary fiber, with anti-inflammatory properties, and it has the ability to help stop the development of many diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. It is an excellent choice for a weight loss program, because it helps slow down absorption of sugar in the blood, hence, helping to prevent diabetes as well.
Black rice is good for the kidneys, stomach and the liver.
A 1/2 cup of cooked black rice has 160 calories less than in brown rice. It contains less carbohydrates than brown rice and more fiber and protein than any other rice.
Black rice is a whole grain, it is a complex carbohydrate, not a refined grain, and it contain the entire bran of the grain, where the fibers are stored.
Brown rice and other types of rice contain antioxidants, but only black rice contains the anthocyanin antioxidant, an important antioxidant that helps combat many known diseases.
How To Cook Black Rice
Soak the rice for at least one hour, (best soaked overnight) then rinse clean.
Black rice takes longer to cook than other rice, that’s why you should soak it for some time before cooking.
Cook like any other rice for about 30 minutes or more, check the texture, if it’s still hard, let it cook longer on the stove top.
For every cup of black rice, use 2 cups of water.
Eat with vegetables, sea foods, avocado, fish or just season with Himalayan salt, cayenne pepper and turmeric, it’s great as an accompanying dish to serve with salmon or any other fish as well.