Black Rice - It's the New Brown

Beginning Thursday, Big Bowl starts a new series of specials with a continued focus on local, sustainable foods and an added nutritional bonus; forbidden black rice. Most people think of rice as coming in either white or brown.  Grains of rice actually grow in a stunning array of reds, browns, and blacks.  The food of Chinese emperors, black rice was difficult to grow, but tasty and highly nutritious.  Unless you were part of the royal family, you were forbidden from enjoying black rice.

The black color of uncooked forbidden rice is due to its outer coating of black bran. This also gives the rice a rich nutty flavor when it is cooked, and adds to its nutrition, as the bran contains important dietary fiber.  Recent studies compared the antioxidant levels in black rice and blueberries.  Like blueberries, the purple pigments in black rice have been linked to a decreased risk of heart disease and cancer, improvements in memory, and other health benefits.  Black rice has the added benefit of being low in sugar.

At Big Bowl, everyone can enjoy the flavor and health benefits of Forbidden Black Rice.  Served along side Thai Summer Fish with Sweet Corn, we blend it with jasmine rice and stir fry it with sweet red onion and Thai herbs.  The rice is finished with fresh roasted peanuts, dried shrimp, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.  It’s a dish fit for you and your royal family.  Enjoy and let us know what you think.