We rarely eat plain white rice, preferring to make mixed riced using several other kinds of grains. For the rice I made today, I used equal parts white rice, brown rice, pearl barley and Forbidden (black) rice. This black rice is short grain; do not confuse it with wild black rice, which is actually a grass and is rather a long grain. When you cook Forbidden rice, the black color will extend to the other kinds of rice, resulting in a very interesting color combination. This batch looks dark purple to me. If you routinely use whole grain to boost your white rice, you may come to love the crunchy / chewy texture it adds to the rice. All of us in the family love it, kids included!
