Anything forbidden has to be good...including rice

I went through a phase when I sought to read books that had been banned; if a book were controversial, it was probably on my nightstand during that period in my life. So, when I glimpsed a bag of "Forbidden Rice" at Cornucopia in Carmel a few years ago, it went straight into my shopping basket. It's been a family favorite ever since.

Called 'forbidden' because originally, in China, it was considered the Emperor's rice and was forbidden for anyone else to eat it. Black rice is an heirloom variety and is extremely high in nutritional value including iron. It is a deep black color when raw and turns deep purple when cooked.

I use it just as I would any other rice. Tonight I served it with a shrimp-pork stir-fry with wilted arugula.

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