A couple of weeks ago, Tanya and I went to St. Lawrence Market looking for quinoa, which is more elusive than you would think. We finally found it at Rube's Rice downstairs. Also at Rube's was this crazy-looking green rice called Jade Pearl. I had hoped that it was a breed of rice that grows green right on the plant, but it's actually white rice infused with bamboo extract, which lends the colour. At $14.30/kg, it was the most expensive rice there, but I had to try it.
I cooked it in my rice cooker with plain water and served it with homemade Indian aloo gobi. On the little label at Rube's, it said: "when cooked produces the aroma of a bamboo forest, a light vanilla taste, and an explosion of health-giving nutrients". I could sense the vanilla, but I'm not sure if I would have picked it out if I didn't know already. I thought it tasted like tea -- very earthy.
Pairing it with the Indian curry probably wasn't such a good idea. I think a Thai curry would have made more sense. The rice was interesting and very pretty on the plate, but I don't think I'll want to have it again. Like the black chicken, I think that it's eaten for its nutrients rather than its taste. Which is not a bad reason to eat something, but I'm a hedonist.
I love discovering food that I've never seen before. Black chicken, green rice; I wonder what will be next?
5 comments:
Thanks for having a picture of the rice cooked. I was wondering if it changed colour after it cooked. That rice is so cool, I'll be sure to post a recipe once I order it in to my deli :)
I came up with a very appetizing and flavorful combination for the rice. I read the lukewarm review about the rice after I bought it and decided I needed to work on something to complement the flavor - but first I needed to taste it so I cooked the rice first before I started anything else. The tea taste of the rice seemed to require something fruity or slightly sweet for balance and for the third component, I decided fresh ginger would round it out. So, I stir fried asparagus, yellow squash, yellow onion, and a mild pepper. I created a light sauce for the vegetables with chicken broth, white wine, fresh ginger, green onions, thickened with corn starch. At the same time, I pan fried a salmon filet and when it was done, laid it on a bed of the Jade Pear Rice and spooned the vegetable stir fry on top. The ginger and the wine piqued the flavor of the rice. It turned out rather well. I think I'd like to try pineapple with cilantro and something else next time...
Thanks for that! I'll have to give it another try.
I bought this rice from Rube's a while ago and was saving it...not sure why but glad I did. Tonight I cooked lamb in a mango curry sauce and it was PERFECT with the rice. I'll definitely be trying this again!
Thank you for the comments about pairing ideas! I did make some of this before but was mostly just impressed with the beautiful smell and not the rice itself. Thanks to the conversation here I will pick up some more and give it a try again. I wonder if serving alongside some Thai Basil spring rolls with some a coconut/ginger sauce would keep the pallet a little lighter and more aromatic...
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