Forbidden Rice Pudding

When I first got Amy Chaplin’s cookbooks, I made a mental note that I wanted to try her forbidden rice recipe. I’ve never had forbidden rice and I like rice pudding, so I added it to the list. But then I couldn’t find forbidden rice at any of the grocery stores. I thought for sure Sprouts would have it, but no. So I let the idea go.

Then I was at a different store and for some reason I somehow remembered to look for this rice. And they had it! It was $5 for about 2 cups of rice, which was steep in my mind. But the recipe uses half that and makes a giant bowl of rice pudding. It’s very filling! I had it just now for “lunch dessert” and I barely made a dent in the bowl.

I like my rice pudding cold, so I added a bit more almond milk, toasted coconut, and maple syrup.

Then I decided dried cranberries might be good, so I added those, too.

Thoughts: I’ve never had black rice but I really like the chewier texture. It’s a little different taste, but not strong. The color was the main hurdle for me because the milk turns purple. It looks like it should be grape-flavored.

As to nutrition, forbidden rice is high in anthocyanins which are an antioxidant like those in blueberries and blackberries. Bonus!