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How to Make Purple Rice (Forbidden Rice)

November 2, 2021 by Lisa Le 5 Comments

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Ever since I had it at a vegan Chinese restaurant in Toronto (Vegetarian Haven, I miss you!!), I had always wanted to learn how to make purple rice. Purple rice (also known as Forbidden rice) is a beautiful and nutty change from your usual white rice! It adds a touch of extra fibre, antioxidants, and of course, a lovely colour.

purple rice in a small rice bowl, off center on a dark background

According to NPR, purple rice, aka forbidden rice, was reserved only for the rich because black rice was considered more nutritious. The black colour comes from the plant pigment anthocyanin, which is also present in blueberries, red cabbage, and blackberries. When I shared it in my IG stories, I had a lot of people ask me how to cook purple rice–so here’s a quick little recipe for ya.

Purple rice has been a favourite way to add a bit of extra nutrition and a pop of colour! I bought some short grain black rice a few weeks ago from Zero Waste Bulk. I think it’s the same as glutinous black rice, but I’m not sure. In any case, I’ve been loving adding a tbsp to my normal pot of rice to yield this gorgeous purple rice!

How to Cook Purple Rice

Black rice still has an outer hull and bran, so it takes extra time for the water to penetrate the grains. It’s best to soak the rice for at least a couple hours, (up to overnight) to have tender, cooked rice!

If you’d like to have even darker purple rice, use 2 tbsp instead of 1 tbsp of black rice. I usually subtract the equivalent amount of rice from my white rice since I use a rice cooker. Use equal amounts rice and water (e.g. 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp of both rice and water), and you’ll be rewarded with fluffy, tender rice!

I only know how to cook rice in a rice cooker (aka rice + water + turn on the rice cooker). Lisa from Okonomi Kitchen shares how she cooks rice in her donabe (clay pot) over the stove! I believe you can also cook rice in a cast iron enamelled pot (or even a regular pot) with the same method.

Does it taste any different?

Aside from the colour and a slightly nuttier flavour, purple rice is the same as regular steamed rice! I’ve been loving using it in vegan dolsot bibimbap. It’s also great to use in onigiri for a contrast in colour

purple rice in a rice bowl, centered on a dark background
Print Recipe

Purple Rice aka Forbidden Rice

Purple rice (aka Forbidden rice) is a beautiful and nutty change from your usual white rice! It adds a touch of extra fibre, antioxidants, and of course, a lovely colour.
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Additional Time4 hours hrs
Total Time4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course: Asian
Cuisine: Vegan
Servings: 2 cups cooked rice
Author: Lisa Le

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup short grain white rice minus 1 tbsp
  • 1 tbsp short grain glutinous black rice
  • 3/4 cup water

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine white and black rice. Cover with water and rinse for 20 seconds, then drain. Repeat until the water is no longer cloudy (this usually takes me 2-3 rinses).
  • Drain well and add 3/4 cup water. Cover and let the rice soak for 2-4 hours so that the black rice will cook through.
  • After the rice has soaked, cook in rice cooker according to manufacturer's instructions (my rice cooker just has a "cook" button). Once cooked, don't open the lid and allow the rice to rest for 20 minutes on the keep-warm setting. This will yield a nice and fluffy rice!
  • Fluff with the rice paddle and enjoy :)
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Filed Under: Asian, Gluten-Free, Recipes from TikTok, Vegan recipes Tagged With: forbidden rice, gluten-free, how to cook rice, purple rice

About Lisa Le

Lisa is the thirty-something, nerdy, procrastinating, feminist blogger and photographer behind The Viet Vegan. She loves spicy foods, noodles, and food in bowls.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle L Ammons says

    November 2, 2021 at 11:56 PM

    Yes, I have tried some of your recipes. I made, and loved, your pickled dikon.

    Reply
    • Sarah Schmidt says

      November 7, 2021 at 11:50 AM

      Do you have a good source for forbidden rice? Amazon has reviews that say it seems like dyed white rice:(

      Reply
      • Lisa Le says

        November 9, 2021 at 1:04 PM

        Technically forbidden rice is dyed purple from black rice. You’ll want to look for black glutinous rice (as mentioned in the blog post). I buy from my local bulk food store, but most Asian grocery stores should carry some form of black rice :)

        Reply
  2. Karen says

    February 1, 2022 at 10:29 PM

    Can this be made in a clay pot on the stove like if I were to make some kind of bap dish? I plan on making bibimbap with the purple rice. Thank you

    Reply
    • Lisa Le says

      February 3, 2022 at 2:43 PM

      Definitely! I usually just put the cooked rice in a dolsot and layer the banchan on top though!

      Reply

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