Black Rice aka Forbidden Rice

If you have never cooked black rice before, you are in for a treat because in today’s post we are covering the basics of this nutritious whole grain in detail. And if you are someone who cooks it on the regular, I hope you will find some helpful tips from my extensive recipe testing for the pursuit of the best method of cooking forbidden rice.

If you are a fan of whole grain dishes like I am, you might also like my deep dive on cooking quinoa, bulgur, and wild rice. 

What is Forbidden Rice? Why is Black Rice called Forbidden Rice?

With its dark purple color, black rice is a cultivated form of wild rice and has been around for more than 9,000 years. Originated from China and spread to other parts of Asia and around the world, it is considered to have the highest antioxidant activity of all rice varieties and is a good source of nutrients, antioxidants, protein, fiber and iron.

Black rice is also referred to as Forbidden Rice and Emperor’s Rice, because during the days of ancient China it was considered to be so nutritious that it was reserved exclusively for the royalty to ensure their longevity and health. 

Eventually, it became available for everyone and came to this day as a grain that is synonymous with good health and long life.

Three Most Common Types of Forbidden Rice:

Nowadays, it is easy to find black rice in supermarkets here in the US. However, the names and branding used by the manufacturers might be a bit confusing, especially if you are new to cooking black rice.

Below are the three most common types of forbidden black rice, along with the most popular brands you can find:

Black Rice (Purple Rice): 

This is the most common type of black rice sold in the US markets. This unmilled, medium-grain rice is grown in Zhejiang province in China. However, nowadays, it is also grown in various parts of the world.

Some popular names for black rice are Forbidden rice, Heirloom Black Rice, Kavuni Rice, Purple Rice, Bolay Black Rice and Black Jasmine Rice. 

While there might be slight differences in production and/or brands, they are essentially the same thing. 

Some popular brands that sell black rice in the US markets are (affiliate links):

1. Lotus Foods – Heirloom Forbidden Rice (They offer an organic black rice as well)
2. Nature’s Earthly Choice – All Natural Black Rice

Black Japonica Rice™ & Black Pearl Rice by Lundberg

Black Japonica Rice™ and Black Pearl Rice are not technically black rice. They are grown in California by Lundberg Family Farms. 

However, because they are widely available in the US and offer a very similar taste and texture to black rice, I think it is appropriate to include them as a part of the family.

Black Japonica Rice is a mixture of short-grain black rice and medium-grain mahogany rice (a type of red rice.) The name is trademarked by Lundberg Family Farms. It is marketed as “A Gourmet Field Blend of Black & Mahogany Rice” and offers a very similar nutty flavor with subtle savory and sweet notes.

On the other hand, Black Pearl Rice is similar to black rice in that it is a whole grain rice with the bran intact and has a black pigment on the kernel.

Black Sticky Rice:

Also called Thai Black Rice, Thai Sweet Rice, Thai Black Glutinous Rice or Khao Niew Dam (in Thai), Black sticky rice is a medium to long grain glutinous rice from South East and East Asia.

It is often cooked by steaming (in a bamboo steamer) and compared to Chinese Black rice, it has a more sticky texture when cooked.

You can see this version also used in Korean cooking and they refer to it as Wild Sweet Rice or Black Sweet Rice.

It is often used in Thai cuisine in desserts, custards, pudding, and porridge recipes often topped off with fruit and coconut. 

Black Thai Glutinous Rice is not as widely available in the US as the other two types of rice. However, you can find them in Asian supermarkets and specialty stores or purchase it online.

While Thai Black Rice is not the same thing as Chinese Black Rice, in most recipes, you can use Chinese Black rice instead of Thai sticky rice. 

I am sure there are exceptions to this, especially if you are cooking authentic recipes, but I found that for basic recipes like Black Rice Salad or Black rice pudding, they can be used interchangeably.

How to Cook Black Rice On The Stove –  Basic Cooking Instructions:

You can cook black rice on the stove using three different methods:

Cook it Like Rice:

This is the most popular method and the one that is recommended on the packaging of most black rice sold in the supermarket. It is also referred to as the absorption method.

Water to black rice ratio for the absorption method is 2 to 1. In other words, you will need 2 cups of cooking liquid (like water, chicken stock or vegetable broth) for every cup of black rice you use.

To Cook Black Rice using the absorption method:

1. Place 2 cups of cooking liquid of your choice, 1 cup of black rice, and an optional ½ teaspoon of kosher salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. 
2. Bring to a boil, put the lid on, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer for about 30-33 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
3. Remove it from heat (keep the lid on) and let it rest for 10 minutes. Fluff it with a fork.

Pros & Cons of Cooking It Like Rice:

• Pros: The advantage of this method is that you can change up your cooking liquid to make it more flavorful. I also like the fact that after all of the liquid is absorbed, the rice looks and tastes perfectly cooked. 
• Cons: The disadvantage is that you have to keep a close eye on it to ensure that there is enough liquid in it and it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. During all of my recipe testing, in every brand that I tried, my black rice was cooked between the 30-33 minute mark using this method.

Cook it Like Pasta:

To me, this is the easiest method. I love the fact that this method provides less sticky black rice in the end (compared to the absorption method). 

When you are cooking black rice like pasta, there is no need to be exact about the amount of water you use.

To cook black rice like pasta:

1. Place 6 cups of water, 1 cup of black rice, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a medium saucepan. 
2. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer (stirring occasionally) for 20 minutes or until the rice is fully softened.
3. Drain the liquid using a colander as soon as it cooks and serve.

Pros & Cons of Cooking it Like Pasta:

• Pros: This method of cooking is hands-off and quicker (ready after 20 minutes of simmering) than any other method.
• Cons: You can’t take advantage of flavoring it using chicken or vegetable stock (unless you want to waste it) and you might lose some of the nutrients after it is drained. Additionally, similar to pasta, if you leave it in the liquid after it is cooked, it will get mushy.

Pilaf Method: Turn It into Forbidden Black Rice Pilaf & Cook it with Vegetables

If you are a fan of whole grain pilaf recipes like Lemon Garlic Quinoa, Wild Rice Mushroom Pilaf, and Turkish Bulgur Pilaf, you should definitely try Black Rice Pilaf.

As a matter of fact, I took inspiration from my Wild Rice Stuffing recipe for this method of cooking. It is a great way to season black forbidden rice with vegetables, fresh herbs and spices and turn it into a delicious whole grain side dish. 

You can use any vegetables you have on hand, including but not limited to onion, garlic, carrot, celery, peas, and mushrooms and flavor it with fresh herbs like thyme and parsley. You can also season black rice with fresh or dried thyme, chives and salt, and black pepper.

To make my basic Black Rice Pilaf recipe:

1. Cook the vegetables: Heat vegetable oil in a medium saucepan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add in onion, carrots, celery and saute for 4-5 minutes or until softened. Add in garlic, fresh thyme leaves, a handful of dried cranberries and saute for 30 seconds. 
2. Add the black rice and cooking liquid: Add a cup of black rice and 1 ¾ cups of water, chicken stock or vegetable broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
3. Garnish & Serve: Optionally, top it off with chopped pecans/walnuts and garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Serve.

Pros and Cons of Cooking it Like Pilaf:

• Pros: Cooking forbidden rice with vegetables complements its nutty texture and makes it even more flavorful. You can literally serve this dish by itself as a vegan and gluten-free meal or as a side dish with any of your dinner recipes. Plus, you can switch up the vegetables using this basic black rice pilaf recipe as a place to start.
• Cons: This is not a very hands-off method. You would have to keep an eye on it to make sure that it has enough water and not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  Also, after it is fully cooked, all of the vegetables turn black, requiring a bit of food styling to make it look appealing to the eye. I top it off with a handful of chopped pecans (for color and crunch) and garnish it with fresh thyme (or any herbs you have on hand.)

Other Cooking Methods – In Instant Pot & In a Rice Cooker:

While cooking forbidden rice on the stove top is easy, if you would rather prefer a method that uses more hands off with foolproof, perfect-every time kind of results, then you can make it in an Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker) or in a rice cooker. 

I covered each method with everything you need to know in their respective recipe posts, but below are a quick snapshot of how to make black rice in each device.

Pressure Cooker Method:

Cooking black rice in an Instant Pot is easy and hands off. 

The water to rice ratio for cooking in a pressure cooker is 1 to 1. In other words, you will need 1 cup of cooking liquid (water, chicken stock or vegetable stock) for every cup of black rice.

For Chinese Forbidden rice, set your Instant Pot to 17 minutes on high and let it release the pressure naturally. If you are cooking Thai Black Sticky Rice, set it to 20 minutes on high and again, let it release the pressure naturally. 

There is no need to grease the pressure cooker insert as it does not stick.

Forbidden Rice Health Benefits:

A lot of people ask,”is black rice healthy?” The answer is yes. Of course, like everything else, when it is consumed in moderation and there could be exceptions to the rule based on your medical condition.

The popular website, Healthline, says that it is one of the healthiest rice to consume (amongst all other types of rice) and  outlines the benefits of black rice as:

1. Packed with nutrients (particularly in protein, fiber and iron) and rich in antioxidants
2. Contains anthocyanin, a plant compound that is responsible for its dark deep purple color, also found in blueberries and sweet potatoes. Research shows that anthocyanin offers anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer effects.
3. It may boost heart and eye health
4. It may help with weight loss because of its high levels of protein and fiber
5. Naturally gluten free making it a good choice for people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease.

How To Store, Freeze & Thaw?

• Storage: Bring leftover cooked black rice to room temperature, place it in an airtight container and store in the fridge upto 4 days.
• Freezing: Bring cooked black rice to room temperature, spread it onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, place in the freezer for upto 2 hours or until frozen, and then store it in a freezer friendly container.
• Thawing: Allow it to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. You can use it in cold dishes immediately or gently reheat to use in warm dishes.

Forbidden Rice Recipe Ideas – What To Do With Black Rice?

There are so many ways you can use cooked black rice. Since it stores well and can be used in many recipes, I cook a batch as a part of my weekly meal prep. You can pretty much adapt it to any recipe that uses quinoa, brown rice, and even wild rice. Here are a few suggestions:

• Use it in salads as a grain: Adding a cup of cooked black rice in any salad recipe makes it filling and nutritious. A great example of it is my Black Rice Salad, where I use cooked rice as a base and flavor it with an Asian salad dressing. Or try this Forbidden Rice Salad with Curry Dressing.
• Black Rice Cereal/Porridge or Black Rice Pudding: Serve it for breakfast by simply pouring hot or cold almond milk (or coconut milk) over it and topping it off with nuts and fruit.

• Use it as a base for your grain bowls: I serve my Sesame Seared Tuna Salad over black rice, which turns it into a filling meal. You can also swap quinoa with black rice in my Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowl.
• Add a cup of black rice into soups and stews: You can add it to any soup or stew recipe that uses pasta/orzo, or quinoa as a filling.