Black Rice with Edamame Beans

In the past 48 hours I...

...went through a whole packet of lemsip and strepsils.

...probably looked like a crazy lady with dirty hair sticking out in every directions, 2 pairs of socks (at least they were matching!), and layers of baggy clothes that somehow stretch bigger year after year. Oh and a red nose + a box of tissue tucked under my arms where ever I went.

...wondered when I would feel like a functional and useful human being again.

...browsed through every top 20s of each genre on iTune in bed.

...captured the amazing colours of the sky outside my window.

...received 2 cards from 2 special friends - both have sent me birthday cards every year without fail since we were 9 - definitely brightened up this bedridden girl's day!

...tried to entertain myself at home:

...was sad to have to have to drop out of lunch (at Quay!) - something I've looked forward to for so long.

...hoped that somebody would cook something delicious for me and feed it to me in bed while I watch a movie but realised that's not going to happen ;)

...discovered the only vegetable supply I have at home is in the frozen form. 

At times of sickness, it's only appropriate to load your body up with something nourishing...like, black rice! And yes, my frozen vege supply - edamame beans.

So have you tried cooking black rice before?

Things I found out:

- It stains (lucky I had my baggy sick clothes on)! Once cooked, it turns into a dark burgundy colour. Prettty!

- It hold its shape well after cooked and is pleasantly chewy. 

- It's packed with nutrition - low in sugar, high in fibre and plant compounds. 

- It's is also known as 'forbidden rice' because originally in China, only the nobles were allowed to eat it! I'm glad I'm a woman of today.

- Apparently, "just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar, and more fibre and vitamin E antioxidants." Source here.

  

Anyways, I decided to cook the black rice with loads of onions and garlic in chicken stock, topped generously with those healthful edamame beans. I've made this a few times in the past (the photos are from my previous attempts) and I love how a simple bowl like this never fails to make me feel good afterwards.

While I'm still a sick mess (and quite a sight too) at the moment, but I have a feeling the next 48 hours might just turn for the better :)

Black Rice with Edamame Beans

• 1 cup black rice
• ~2 cups homemade chicken stock (or you can use water or vegetable stock)
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 6 cloves garlic, whole (if you don't like garlic, don't add it!)
• 1-2 tbsp soy sauce 
• 1/2 cup edamame beans

1. Rinse the rice.

2. Heat a bit of of oil in a pan and cook the garlic and onion until almost translucent.

3. Add the rinsed rice and cook for around 1 minute.

4. Add the chicken stock as well as the soy sauce and bring to boil. 

5. At this stage, I transfer the rice into my rice cooker and let it cook. But you can also reduce heat to a simmer and cover - cook for 30 minutes.

6. Finally, take the beans out of the defrosted pods and add generously over a bed of flavoursome black rice!

I wish you a lovely weekend ahead :) 

Stay warm (or cool if you're on the other hemisphere).