This dish looks much more complicated than it actually is. Black rice (sometimes rather glamorously known as ‘forbidden’ rice) tends to have that effect. You could definitely use brown or basmati rice here instead, but black rice will make the whole thing look the perfect combination of mysterious and emo. Adding some pomegranate seeds for tartness and sweetness, plus some stir-fried or griddled broccoli brings everything together in this rather striking rice salad that works just as well cold as it does warm. Serve with feta cheese, oily fish, or poultry.
What's the A to V?
Rice is a great source of several of the B vitamins, with broccoli and pomegranate both excellent non-citrus sources of vitamin C.
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 cup of rice (roughly 150-175g, but it’s rice so who the hell knows)
Pinch of salt or 1/2 a stock cube for cooking your rice
100g pomegranate seeds
150g of broccoli (I like tender stem, but any broccoli will do)
Salt and pepper to season
Olive oil
Method
Cook your rice in boiling water according to packet instructions. I cook mine with half a vegetable stock cube for 30 minutes. Be warned that black rice takes an absolute age to cook, so be sure to taste before draining it. You want it to have bite but not to be detrimentally chewy.
While you rice is cooking, steam or boil your broccoli for no more than 3 minutes. Rinse under cold water, then in a small pan heat up a bit of oil and a pinch of salt and gently fry your brocc until starting to go crispy. Roughly 2-3 minutes. If you have a hardcore griddle pan situation in your kitchen than that would also work.
Combine the rice with the broccoli and pomegranate seeds, then season with salt and pepper and a generous drizzle of olive oil.