If you are accustomed to the ease of cooking rice in a cooker but have been toying with the idea of trying emperor’s rice you may have wondered, can I cook black rice in a rice cooker? The answer is yes. There are some differences that you need to keep in mind:
- The anthocyanin that makes black rice black, is an excellent purple dye.
- Black rice is un-milled or semi-milled.
- Most black rice has a lot of free starch as packaged.
But cooking black rice in a rice cooker is easy once you get the hang of it.
Without further ado, here is how to cook black rice in a rice cooker. Mess-free.
Materials You Need
- Black rice
- Rice cooker
- Large bowl (glass or metal is best)
- Large spoon
- Strainer
- Water
- Salt (optional)
Steps for Cooking Black Rice in Rice Cooker
Step 1. Wash the Rice
This could be the most important step of the entire process. Failing to properly prep your black rice could leave you with a gummy mess instead of beautiful black rice. You could also find yourself with hot black lava crawling across your countertop.
Place the black rice in a large bowl. It is best to use a metal or glass bowl to avoid staining. Don’t use plastic unless you want a purple bowl.
Fill the bowl with just enough water to submerge the rice 1-2 inches below the surface and stir gently with your hand. Don’t over stir. The goal is to remove any excess starch and loose material and not break up the grains.
Step 2. Strain
Pour the rice through the strainer to remove the wash water without losing any of the grains.
The wash and strain cycle should be repeated two or three times to avoid the surplus starch from boiling up in your rice cooker and overflowing in a sticky mess.
Drain rice well after the final wash.
Step 3. Add Ingredients to Rice Cooker
Place washed black rice in the cooker and add water or stock if desired at a rate of 1.75 cups of fluid to 1 cup of rice. Salt or other seasonings can be added if desired.
Step 4. Set Cooker
If your rice cooker has a brown rice setting, it will work perfectly for black rice. If your model uses a timer then 25 minutes normally produces near-perfect results.
Step 5. Finish
When the timer goes off, remove the lid of the cooker to allow steam to escape.
Allow rice to breathe for a few minutes.
Step 6. Serve
Using a large spoon, remove black rice from the cooker. It is now ready to serve.
Step 7. Clean Up
Remember to clean all your equipment as soon as possible after cooking black rice. The anthocyanin from it will stain almost any surface if left too long. This includes the aluminum many rice cooker pans are made of.
It should be noted that every rice cooker is different and black rice can vary depending on the particular variety, gran size, and how it has been milled. It is best to start with small test batches until you have grown comfortable with the process.
To avoid spoilage, always allow cooked rice to completely cool before storing it in a refrigerator.
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
