Add some color to your rice by making this simple yet beautiful-looking purple Korean rice.
Simply make it on the stovetop and make your next dinner party even better!
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Purple Korean rice is a sticky rice that is purple in color.
This Korean food is also known as Heukmi Bap. Heukmi Bap translates to ‘black rice.’
However, it is commonly known as purple rice (or purple multigrain rice) due to the purple color it has.
It gets its purple color from the black glutinous rice when it is cooked together with the short grain white rice.
The dye in the black glutinous rice coats the white rice to form the purple color.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This Korean purple rice recipe is so simple to make and it is just as easy as making any other plain rice. It uses only three ingredients. Making it budget-friendly, quick to prepare, and a no-fuss recipe.
By combining black glutinous rice with white rice, it creates a lovely purple color in the end result which I’m sure you’ll love. What’s more, depending on the amount of black glutinous rice you add, you can make the rice a dark rich purple or a light pale purple!
You’ll also love that this recipe only has three ingredients, and it only takes just over 30 minutes to make.
Cost To Make
Estimated cost = $0.75, or $0.18 a serve
Ingredients
Please note that below is a guide for some of the ingredients we used in the recipe. The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.
- Black glutinous rice (sweet black rice): The dye in this rice gives the color to the final dish. If you want your rice to be more purple, simply add some more black glutinous rice. If you add a lot more, however, you may need to adjust the amount of water you cook your rice with.
- Short grain white rice: The starch found in this rice helps the rice to stick together. If you are unable to get short grain rice, you could substitute medium grain rice.
- Water
Instructions
Making purple rice is so easy and takes less time than you think. Here is the method of cooking purple rice.
Step 1 - In a saucepan, place both the short grain rice and black glutinous rice. Rinse the rice well until the water becomes clear.
You will need to rinse the rice multiple times until the water becomes clear. Be sure the drain the water as best as you can between each rinse.
Once the water becomes clear, drain the water completely.
Step 2 - Add the 1 ½ cups (375ml) of water to the saucepan. Make sure the rice sits flat on the bottom of the saucepan. This will help the rice cook evenly.
Step 3 - Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the rice to a boil.
When the rice reaches a boil, gently stir the rice with a spoon (this will help stop the rice from sticking to the bottom when it cooks).
Turn the heat to low to reduce to a simmer and place a lid on the saucepan. Cook for 20 minutes.
Step 4 - After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 10 minutes with the lid on.
Step 5 - Using a fork, rake the rice to loosen the grains (this is known as fluffing the rice). Serve.
Tips for Success
- If you want your rice to be a lighter color, use less black glutinous rice.
- To make the rice a bit more chewy and darker in color, add more black rice.
- Make sure to rest the rice with the lid on after it has finished cooking. This is because the rice will continue to cook even with the heat off.
- Be sure to completely drain the water after rinsing. Otherwise, you may end up with too much water when your rice is cooking. This may make the rice too soft and mushy.
Serving Suggestions
This rice is perfect to eat on its own. However, it also goes well with soy sauce chicken, teriyaki chicken, and Korean side dishes such as kimchi, pickled onions, and pan fried Korean zucchini.
Storage
If you have any leftover rice, you can store it in a refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Place the rice in an airtight container.
Heat the rice in a microwave. Sprinkle some water over the top of the rice before reheating to rehydrate it if needed.
FAQ
Yes, this purple Korean rice recipe is gluten-free.
As this recipe is made just from rice and water it makes the purple rice healthy. Additionally, black glutinous rice contains anthocyanin.
This is an antioxidant that is found in other foods such as acai berries, blueberries, and eggplants. Foods that contain anthocyanin are often rich in antioxidants.
Korean purple rice is made of short (or medium) grain rice and black glutinous rice and water.
Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below! We'd love to hear how it turned out.
More Mains Recipes
Recipe
Korean Purple Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons black glutinous rice
- 1 cup short grain white rice
- 1 ½ cups (375 ml) water
Instructions
- In a saucepan place the black glutinous rice and short grain white rice. Rinse under cool water to remove the starch from the rice. Drain the water. Repeat rinsing until the water becomes clear. Completely drain the water once it becomes clear.
- Add 1 ½ cups (375 ml) of water to the pot. Make sure the rice sits flat on the bottom of the saucepan.
- Over medium to high heat, bring the pot to a boil. Stir the rice gently. Once the water is boiling reduce the heat to low and place a lid on it. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Keeping the lid on the pot, turn the stove off and remove the pot from the stove. Allow the rice to rest for 10 minutes.
- Take the lid off the pot and use a fork to gently rake the rice to separate the grains. Serve.
Notes
- If you want your rice to be a darker purple, add a bit more black glutinous rice before cooking.
- Make sure to rest the rice with the lid on after it has finished cooking. This is because the rice will continue to cook even with the heat off.
- Be sure to completely drain the water after rinsing. Otherwise, you may end up with too much water when your rice is cooking. This may make the rice too soft and mushy.
Tom says
This was so easy to make!