Heukmi Bap
흑미밥·(heuk-mi-bap)
The Always-On Zojirushi: Weeknight Banchan & Bap
Swirl the short-grain white and black rice in the pot until the deep purple water reveals that vibrant lavender hue of weeknight dinners and lunchbox kimbap. Health-food stores will try to sell you generic black rice, but those brittle grains refuse to bind. The strict requirement is chal-heukmi, or glutinous black rice. A whisper of it transforms a pot of white rice into a chewy masterpiece. Too much, and it turns into charcoal that fights your jaw. Add a rigorous wash, a thirty-minute soak, and a pinch of sea salt to wake the grains up. The Zojirushi does the rest. The latch clicks open, the steam clears, and the plastic rice paddle cuts through the purple mound.
Ingredients
- short-grain white rice2 cup
- glutinous black rice2 tbsp
- filtered water2 cup
- coarse sea salt1/4 tsp
- dashima1 small piece
Method
- 01
Wash the rice thoroughly to remove the surface starch.
Place the white and black rice in the cooker's inner pot, submerge in cold water, and gently swirl with your hand. Drain and repeat three to four times until the water runs mostly clear. Do not skip this, or you will end up with gummy, gluey rice.
- 02
Measure the water and season the pot.
Add fresh, filtered cold water up to the '2 Cup' white rice line on your machine. Sprinkle the sea salt evenly over the water and drop the dashima on top without stirring. The salt is the secret to neutralizing the bran's earthy odor and boosting the grain's natural sweetness.
- 03
Let the rice soak undisturbed for exactly thirty minutes.
Do not press start yet. This pause gives the tough, fibrous hull of the black rice time to hydrate so it cooks at the exact same rate as the softer white rice.
- 04
Cook on the standard white rice setting.
When the machine plays its finishing chime, do not open the lid immediately. Let the rice rest on the 'Keep Warm' setting for five to ten minutes to allow the steam to finish gelatinizing the starches.
- 05
Fluff and serve immediately.
Open the lid, discard the dashima, and use a wet rice paddle to gently fold the rice from the bottom up, distributing the brilliant purple moisture evenly.
Notes
Buy the right grain.
Standard 'Forbidden Rice' or 'Black Rice' found in American supermarkets is non-glutinous and cooks up like little pebbles. You must go to an Asian grocer and find bags specifically labeled 'Sweet Black Rice' or 'Glutinous Black Rice' (Chal-heukmi).
The knuckle trick.
If your rice cooker lacks measuring lines, or you lost the plastic cup, place your hand flat on top of the washed, leveled rice. Add water until it just reaches the first knuckle of your middle finger.
From Cook Korean in America.