Black Rice Paradise

Houston summers (read: hot, sticky, humid ordeal) certainly aren’t to be envied. Nevertheless, there are plenty of things to celebrate with the arrival of summer, which coincides with the onslaught of mango season. The 4-for-$1 deal at Sprouts was too good to resist, and I was soon faced with deciding what to do with 11 ripe Tommy Atkins mangoes. A mango all by itself is certainly a treat, but its sweet flavor and smooth texture makes it a perfect complement to almost anything. Peering into our pantry, I spotted a personal favorite of mine, black rice. You might wonder, what’s so special about black rice?
I love the deep nutty, sweet flavor it has. An additional bonus: it’s a whole grain (like brown rice), and is absolutely loaded with antioxidants—apparently one spoonful of uncooked black rice has the same amount of anthocyanin as a spoonful of fresh blueberries. When I cook black rice, I like to add a few dried dates and cinnamon, which further enhance the flavor. This time, to balance the hearty nature of black rice, and to complete the tropical theme, I added sliced kiwis. Topping it all off was a dollop of vanilla Greek yogurt, candied ginger, and a pecan, both for presentation and for taste. The yogurt adds a creaminess that goes well with the glutinous nature of the black rice, which is stickier than brown and white rice. This is very easy to make, see the recipe below!

Tropical Black Rice--serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups black rice
• 4 cups water
• 4-8 medium dried dates, pitted
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 ripe mangoes* 
• 2 kiwis
• 6 Tb. vanilla Greek yogurt
• 6 pecan halves (raw, unsalted)
• 2 Tb. sliced candied ginger

 Directions:

1. Rinse the rice and let it soak for at least an hour--This will help reduce the cooking time.
2. Add rice, water, dates, and cinnamon to a medium pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the fruit. Peel and cube the mango and set aside in a bowl. Peel the kiwi and cut into 1/2'' thick coins; set aside as well. Slice the ginger thinly into 1/8-1/4'' thick pieces each about an inch long.
4. After about 20-25 minutes, check to see if the rice is done. You can do this by tasting a few grains, if they are chewy rather than hard and gritty, then it's done! Turn off the heat and let the rice sit for another 10-15 minutes. This lets the rice cool a bit, as well as absorb a bit more water.
5. Set out 6 bowls (or plates), and divide the rice evenly among them. If there is excess liquid, it should be fine, but feel free to use a slotted spoon. 
6. The fun part: garnish. Top with mango, kiwi slices, yogurt, candied ginger, and pecan, in that order.
7. Serve immediately and enjoy!

*Note: As previously mentioned, I used Tommy Atkins mangoes, but feel free to use other types, such as the Ataulfo. This website gives a nice description of the types of mangoes commonly sold in the U.S.

Also--keep in mind that recipes are really just guidelines, I'd love to see in the comments how you adapted the recipe to your personal tastes and preferences. Be creative!