Black Rice: Add an Element of Dark Drama to your Meals

Enjoyed some black rice dishes recently at a new-to-us restaurant ‘Gaia’s Garden’ in Santa Rosa. Intrigued and inspired, went searching for black rice at our local grocery stores.

Found a delicious black wild rice in bulk at Community Market, our local organic cooperative. And discovered Lundberg offers an heirloom black Japonica rice that’s a mix of black and burgundy rice grains.

Here’s the description from the Lundberg web site.
Juicy & Bold: Succulent, with a roasted nutty flavor and exotic sweet spiciness. This unique rice variety is nutrient-rich and high in health-promoting anthocyanin antioxidants, like those found in blueberries and blackberries.

Did a satisfying, delicious 7-Day Whole Foods Detox Diet last week. Cooked with several new foods and learned a better way to prepare whole grains. Measure the quantity  you wish to have (for example 2 cups), rinse well and then soak overnight or for 8 hours before cooking. Instead of doubling the amount of water needed for cooking (ie. 2 cups of grain / 4 cups of filtered water or broth), you may use equal proportions of the dry grain and liquid (2 cups and 2 cups) for the finished product. The grains I’ve cooked this way: black rice, millet, and quinoa have been delicious.

The soaking water from the black rice was an amazing dark sultry plum hue. Took a couple of photos to share with you.

Interesting Rice Facts:
•    Rice cultivation may have begun around 5,000 BC.
•    Rice may be grown in almost any environment, except Antarctica.
•    At least half of all the Rice produced is consumed within 10 miles of where it was grown.
•    Rice is the highest yielding cereal grain producing more than 3,000 grains of rice from a single seed.
•    There are around 250 million rice farms in Asia.
•    Every year at least 65 kilos of rice are produced per every single person on Earth.
•    Around half of the world’s population (China, Indonesia & India) depend on rice for sustenance spending up ¾’s of their incomes on rice alone.
•    The words used for “Food” & “Rice” are the same in several Asian languages.

Black Rice Recipes:

Asian Black Rice Salad http://www.blackrice.com/recipes/8/

Festive Black Japonica http://www.lundberg.com/recipes/side_dishes/Festive_Black_Japonica.aspx

Field, Wood & Garden Black Rice Salad http://www.lundberg.com/recipes/salads/Field_Wood_Garden_Rice_Salad.aspx

Southwestern Black Rice Salad http://www.lundberg.com/recipes/salads/Southwestern_Rice_Salad.aspx

SOURCES:
Read more about Lundberg Black Japonica Rice: http://www.lundberg.com/products/rice/Lundberg_Black_Japonica%E2%84%A2.aspx
7-Day Whole Foods Detox Diet: http://www.whole-body-detox-diet.com/