Rice is hardly regarded as a special side dish, unless it gets fancied up as a risotto, joined to all sorts of goodies and a nice amount of butter. But, black rice, also known as Forbidden Rice, is another story. Dark, mysterious, with a heartier texture and more assertive flavor, it has the potential to make any meal special. I recently paired it with roasted cauliflower, and we were both very pleased with how it turned out.
BLACK RICE AND ROASTED CAULIFLOWER
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)
1 cup black rice
1 + 3/4 cup water
salt to taste
1 head cauliflower
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided (3 + 1)
juice of half lemon
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Soak the rice in plenty of cold water for 45 minutes. Drain, and rinse well. Add to a sauce pan with the water seasoned with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer with a tight-fitting lid for about 35 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Leave in the pan undisturbed for five minutes before serving.
To roast the cauliflower, cut the florets in a way that they get a flat side. Mix them with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place as a single layer in a baking sheet, covering tightly with aluminum foil. Roast at 450 F for 10 minutes, remove the foil, roast for 15 more minutes, flipping the pieces mid way through (or at least moving them around a little, so that new spots touch the bottom of the pan. Depending on how dark you like your cauliflower, let them roast longer. Meanwhile, mix the remaining tablespoon of olive oil with the lemon juice and spices. When the cauliflower is ready, drizzle the spice mixture, toss gently.
Serve the cauliflower over the hot, steamy rice.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: Black rice is very nutritious, high in iron and fiber, its purple color coming from anthocyanins. It is actually the food item with the highest content of this anti-oxidant. Not too shabby, right? If you’ve never tried it, the taste is similar to brown rice, and the texture might resemble a bit wild rice. All that to tell you, Forbidden Rice is not just a pretty face. However, it can be a bit tricky to cook it perfectly. After having a few lousy experiences with it, I have two pieces of advice: soak it for 45 minutes to 1 hour before cooking, rinse well. And use 1 + 3/4 cup of water per cup of rice, not more. Recipes that tell you to use 2:1 will most certainly leave you with a soupy concoction, in which the nice bite of this grain will be compromised.
The cauliflower. I got inspiration from a Fine Cooking article on steam-roasted vegetables. I simplified considerably their take on steam-roasted cauliflower with Indian spices, and shared this stream-lined version with you.
As full-blown omnivores, we paired this side dish with very juicy and very delicious chicken thighs, my default recipe which is on our table every couple of weeks.Yes, it is a lot of chicken, but we got two full dinners out of it, and one lunch for yours truly.
For such a simple preparation with humble ingredients, we were quite amazed by how much we enjoyed it. Once the weather warms up (and I turn into a cheerful human being again instead of The Resident Curmudgeon) I intend to make black rice salad, because it seems to me it might be a real winner also.
ONE YEAR AGO: La Couronne Bordelaise
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THREE YEARS AGO: Duck Confit for a Special Occasion
FOUR YEARS AGO: Tuscan Grilled Chicken and Sausage Skewers
FIVE YEARS AGO: Celebrate Wednesday with Pork Tenderloin & Apples
SIX YEARS AGO: Salmon Wellington
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EIGHT YEARS AGO: Weekend Pita Project
NINE YEARS AGO: Let it snow, let it snow, eggs in snow
https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/steam-roasted-indian-spiced-cauliflower
Sally, how many does this recipe serve? I’m looking at it as a side dish for a dinner party of either 6 or 8 (uncertain how many just yet) to go with poblano peppers stuffed with spicy lamb (Ottolenghi recipe) with a harissa yogurt sauce.
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not more than four people – I would double it for sure!
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“Forbidden Rice” is called “Riso Venere” in Italy – the rice of Venus, wink wink say no more! I love it and as you said, it is so full of good nutritional properties. It’s great for making rice salads too. One of my easy peasy favourite recipes is all about adding olive oil and plenty (lots and lots) of lemon juice to the cooked and drained salad, while it is still steaming, and then once it has cooled down, adding arugula/rocket leaves and strawberries. Salt and pepper. What a great idea to add roasted cauliflower. Brava !
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oh, I love this salad idea, will be making it soon – you know, the adjective BRAVA has a different meaning in Portuguese from Italian – I once gave a seminar in Siena, and at the end someone came to me and said “BRAVA” – I was a bit uncertain how to react, but sensed it was a compliment, so I said “grazzie mille” – later I had to go check it out… 😉 Brava in Portuguese, means mad, pissed off…
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That sounds lovely!
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it was delicious, and hubby is already lobbying for this dish to become a regular rotation …. ah, the struggles of a food blogger’s partner! The fear of never seeing the same recipe twice…
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Hahaha! Mine have insisted that holidays are sacred so that there’s something familiar once or twice a year. 😉
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I’ve seen black rice in the store but never tried it. Do you think it would be ok cooked in a rice cooker after soaking? My brown rice does well.
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I don’t see why not… maybe you will have to play around a little bit with the timing, but I think that maybe just a little less cooking time than brown rice will do. I hope you try it, it’s nice to have a different side dish every once in a while…
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Liked its texture. Seems yummy too. I will surely try it at home
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I hope you do… texture is great if we pay attention to not over-cooking
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Oh, yes, such a good idea, have not made black rice in forever (and who doesn’t want to tango with mystery) — checking out your chicken right now… (you know I was born with an olive in mouth).
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Tango with mystery! Someone should make a movie with this title… it has a ton of potential… 😉
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A nice contrast of colors, flavors and textures.
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I made it again this weekend, adding a mixture of cauli and butternut squash, all roasted together with more or less the same flavors… it turned out really good too
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