I received black rice from Jordan Farms Natural Foods and it took me two months to finally cook it. I've read articles that it's a hit or miss especially if it's your first time to cook black rice. My rice cooker also don't have any kind of settings for different kinds of rice which makes me more afraid to try cooking.
For my first try, I soaked the black rice for 30 minutes and then let the standard rice cooker do the rest of the work. Result: If it was pasta I was cooking, it was al dente. It was firm to the bite and I kinda feel like it was undercooked. It was also very messy. Purple starch were all over my kitchen counter and some splattered over the floor. It really made me think if regular rice cooker can really be used for cooking black rice.
For my second try, the black rice was cooked much better. Here are the things you have to keep in mind:
- Rinse the the rice thoroughly to make sure you remove excess starch
- The ratio should be 2.5 cups for water for every 1 cup of rice
- You have to soak the rice for 30 minutes before cooking
- It takes 45 minutes for the black rice to cook. Since my rice cooker automatically turns off once the cooking is done, I make sure I leave the rice for 15 minutes more.
Prep and cooking time take longer than white rice but the health benefits of eating black rice is worth the wait. Black rice is low in calories and high in fiber. It is also loaded with B vitamins, a good source of iron, and antioxidants that help prevent cancer and heart diseases.
The black rice is aromatic and has a nutty taste. I enjoyed mine with Pork Ribs Sinigang.