The Forbidden Rice
Rice is one of the cheapest, most ubiquitous staple foods in the world, but this particular variety was once forbidden. Is it because it is black?
Forbidden rice, aka black rice, aka Venus Rice, aka Emperor’s Rice is fashionable, it’s exotic, it’s even been called a superfood, but actually it’s one of the oldest varieties of rice on the planet.
In China, where it originated, only emperors were allowed to eat black rice. It was illegal for peasants to eat or cultivate this ‘forbidden rice’, hence it’s nickname.

Black rice is no longer forbidden — in fact you can often get it at Waitrose and Whole Foods — but it’s nowhere near as easy to find as brown or white rice. Inky, velvety purple-black (like squid ink), it oozes antioxidants, is stunning to look at and incredibly good for you. Its dark colour comes from anthocyanin, the same antioxidant that gives acai berries and blueberries their vivid colour and potent health benefits. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), black rice nurtures the kidney, stomach and liver meridians. It’s said to increase qi and keep one’s hair shiny and free of grey strands.

In China, black rice is used to make a fragrant and sweet black rice wine. Delicious (and visually arresting) in a stir fry, you can use black rice the same way you’d use any other variety of rice (but it has a sweeter, nuttier taste than other brown or white rice). You could try grinding dry black rice kernels and using it to coat fish, before pan frying. You could add it to homemade veggie burgers.
Are you important enough to eat it though ;-) ?
Recipe: Sweet potatoes, black rice, and ginger
Ingredients:
1 cup Chinese black rice
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup minced spring onions
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dried organic ginger
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into half-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Preparation:
1. Bring two cups water to the boil, add rice, cover and reduce heat and simmer for forty minutes, turn off the heat and allow to stand for ten minutes.
2. Heat extra virgin olive oil and fry spring onions for five minutes, then add both types of ginger and the sweet potatoes and stir-fry for five minutes more.
3, Remove from the heat and add salt and pepper and the sesame oil, and cover until the rice is ready.
4. Mix rice and sweet potato mixture, let stand covered for ten minutes, garnish with fresh coriander, toss again, then serve.
