However, if you were living in China in 1500, it would have been forbidden for you. Well, unless you were lucky to have been born in a royal family. Or in an extremely well-off family.
That’s because this recipe is based on one special variety of rice that used to be forbidden for common folks. Those who dared to put it on their plate without consent could have been send to heaven prematurely 🙂 . Interesting times, interesting times.
In those days this rice was grown in small amounts, and thought to prolong life (and it does), and thus was reserved only for a special few. And it’s called exactly that – forbidden rice.
For example, brown rice needs up to 5 days before it decides to sprout, and even then it’s too hard. Its chalky flavor, however, is kind of addicting (I might have a mild pica, which is fun).
Or take, red or black Thai rice, for example. It turns softer sooner, and have a pleasant taste, but still, not soft enough.
Wild rice, I admit, got it all. But it’s not raw as it gets heated before hitting the shelves.
You may never tried forbidden rice as it’s not as popular as other rice varieties. And who knows why. I think it should be just as popular because it’s a pure jewel. Especially, if you are raw vegan.
The nicest thing about this rice is that, it virtually prepares by itself! Your only part is to give it some water and time. No thinking ahead, no mess. Give it a night, and a pile of black pellets will turn into a goodness with familiar taste. It’s exquisitely fluffy and soft, and so refreshing. And I think it tastes just like cooked rice. But better because you are having it in the way mama Nature intended.
It’s a breeze to prepare it.
Ingredients
To experience its flavor to the fullest, just have the following ready (makes one serving):
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1/4 cup forbidden rice
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1 tbsp olive oil
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1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
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oregano (dry, and fresh if can get it)
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salt (if you feel like it)
Directions
1. Wash the rice in warm water
2. Soak it in warm water for 8-10 hours or until the grains burst open. Overnight is perfect. Whole, they are a little hard. Also, pour just enough water to cover the rice and a little extra as the black pigment easily leaks into the water, which is not okay, as you want it to stay inside the rice. This blackish water, although seems like tasteless, I find it gives a super uplifting feeling when you drink it
3. In a morning drain the water. You may want to warm up the rice slightly in a dehydrator, or just splash it with warm water, and drain again
4. The rice you see on the picture I sprinkled with dry oregano, splashed with a tablespoon of olive oil & apple cider vinegar, salted a bit, topped with fresh oregano, and sided with Portabella
At the end of the day, a bowl of soaked forbidden rice is simply a bowl of rice. Do with it whatever you did with your usual bowl of cooked rice.
The good-for-yous it offers
Not only it’s lovely just soaked, nutritionally, it leads other rice varieties.
Anthocyanins
Firstly, forbidden rice has anthocyanins. That’s the stuff that makes it night black. That’s a type of antioxidant. I went through anthocyanin benefits in a Saskatoon berries post. What’s really awesome, is that forbidden rice has more anthocyanins than blueberries that get all the buzz! And obviously more than any other grain! You will notice that even just rinsing the grain darkens the water.
Overall antioxidant level
Plus, its total antioxidant levels beats those of any other rice.
Protein
On top of that, forbidden rice has more protein than any other rice variety.
What’s there not to love about this food?
Forbidden rice gives you the good of both worlds: the cozy feeling of a cooked food and a high-frequency nutrition of a raw food.
It’s fall, and a call for comfort foods is here. So, don’t forget to include it on your next grocery list!
Main references:
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2010/august/black-rice-rivals-pricey-blueberries-as-source-of-healthful-antioxidants.html
http://www.lotusfoods.com/index.php/connect/faq/why-forbidden-rice-called-forbidden/
https://draxe.com/forbidden-rice/
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/04/12/why-black-rice-is-star-superfood.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26192537
Interesting article 🙂 Really opened my mind about raw rice. We have always cooked it thoroughly, but maybe I should give it a try. However I worry it may not be digested well? Thanks for the recipe, it really helps a lot. On a lighter note, the name forbidden rice is also quite an attention-grabber! Thank you for this interesting write-up!
Hi Lily,
You are welcome.
As oppose to other raw soaked/sprouted rice, I find that it gets digested quite well. After soaking, it feels like it has been cooked. So, that’s why I’m telling about it :). But if you worry about that you can add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar when soaking it to further increase its digestibility – should be just right!