Black Rice...AKA Forbidden Rice

Have you ever in your life heard of black rice?  As far as I can tell, not many people have.  Not until the day Nate nonchalantly plucked it from the super market shelves and dropped it into our shopping trolley had I known there was such a thing.  Until that day, I had never come across it in a recipe book, on Pinterest, nor on one of the many food blogs I frequently visit.  And now I am sitting here left wondering WHY?!  Why god hasn't this vibrant grain ever been laid before my eyes until now?!

It's pretty funny that I feel it's been kept a secret from me because in ancient China, it was called 'forbidden rice'.  It was completely off limits to the general public because it was considered to be the finest grain that only the Emperor could eat.  

Luckily us plebs now have access to it, because it's mighty delicious.  And dare I say it's more nutritious than brown rice?  Well, yes.  Yes my friend, it is!  It has a similar texture and nutty flavour, but it's dark colour means it's chock full of antioxidants and other good stuff.  

I've been making rice salads with different combinations of super healthy (and yummy) ingredients for work lunches.

Some of my favourite combos:

black rice
olive oil
salt flakes
lemon juice
frozen peas
mint leaves
goats cheese

OR

black rice
olive oil
salt flakes
lime juice
chilli
coriander (cilantro)
black beans
avocado

Tip:  It's more cost effective to buy black rice at an Asian Super market.

Give it a go!