Rich in antioxidants, black rice (also known as purple or forbidden rice) adds a light nutty flavor and a wealth of nutrients to this simple dish. It is a striking side dish with subtle flavor, a not-so-subtle color, and many nutrients.
Black rice is thought to have been reserved for royalty in ancient China, and was also called longevity rice because of its health-promoting properties. It is believed to have been cultivated for thousands of years, making it a traditional food.
While you can easily cook black rice alone, my family found it more appetizing when mixed and then cooked with brown rice. Because black rice can be expensive, this helps stretch it out. Black rice contains the antioxidant anthocyanin, which gives this dish not only its beautiful color, but is also responsible for potential health benefits such as reducing inflammation, and helping protect against various diseases. It also contains high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, which support eye health. In one controlled study for weight loss, they found that women who frequently ate a brown and black rice diet, instead of white rice, lost more weight, although they ate the same amount of calories. 1, 2, 3.
There are various kinds of black rice, some of which I am eager to try, but haven’t been able to find locally or online. Two accessible brands are Lotus Forbidden Black Rice and Lundberg Black Pearl Rice. I’ve had success using both short and long-grain brown rice in this recipe.
Many of my readers enjoy “soaking” their grains to reduce anti-nutrients, such as phytic acid in grains. Pressure cooking is an excellent form of cooking to reduce anti-nutrients without soaking. It’s our current preferred way to make rice! Feel free to add a soaking period to this recipe, if desired, however. Rice is traditionally rinsed or washed before cooking, and we now know that it also washes away arsenic in rice, so it is recommended for both culinary and health reasons.
You can use whatever ratio of brown to black rice that you like, including using this recipe to make all black rice, if desired.
I am feeding a family, so I use the 6-quart Instant Pot.
Serve with:
- Spicy Korean Beef and Cabbage
- 3-Ingredient Teriyaki Chicken
- Paleo Teriyaki Chicken
- Japanese Cucumber Salad
Perfect Instant Pot Black and Brown Rice
Printable PDF, Serves 4-6 people
You can make a smaller portion of this dish by keeping the ratios the same in smaller amounts. (For example: ¼ cup black rice, ¾ cup brown rice, 1 cup water or broth, ¼ teaspoon salt.)
- 1 cup of black rice
- 3 cups of brown rice
- 4 cups of water or broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Rinse rice by placing rice in a fine sieve and rinsing under the faucet until the water runs clear. Or wash the rice by placing rice a large bowl, covering with cold water, and then gently swirling. Pour out the water, and then repeat until the water runs clear and is no longer cloudy. Add drained rice to the instant pot.
- Add water or broth and salt. Secure the lid and then ensure that the steam release valve is in the sealing position.
- Select manual at high pressure and set to 25 minutes. *
- Once the cooking time is done, let it naturally release for 10 minutes (natural-release simply means leaving it alone) and then release any remaining pressure by moving the steam release valve to venting position.
*Many find that 20 minutes is adequate for cooking brown and black rice, but I find that I need the 25 minutes.
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