Korean Purple Rice | Two Plaid Aprons (2024)

Korean purple rice, or huekmi bap (흑미밥), is a popular and healthier rice alternative to plain white rice. It's purple in color and made by cooking medium grain white rice with some black rice.

Have you ever wonder how Korean households make the most gorgeous Korean purple rice? Well, the secret is using black rice!

Depending on how much black rice is added, the intensity of the color will vary. With our ratio of white rice to black rice, the flavor is not very different from plain white rice.

But you will notice a slight earthy and nutty note if you use more. The black rice also adds a bit of chewiness to each bite of rice.

This Korean purple rice is perfect for our foil baked salmon with gochujang sauce, the air fryer gochujang chicken thighs, and spicy Korean BBQ chicken rice bowl.

What is Korean purple rice?

Korean purple rice or huekmi bap (흑미밥), is a blend of medium grain white rice and medium grain or glutinous black rice. The black rice is what gives Korean rice that beautiful purple color.

Sometimes you'll even find other grains and beans like brown rice, black beans, adzuki added. Koreans often add these various grains like black rice because medium grain rice contains higher amount of starch. So adding other fillers makes the rice healthier and more nutritious.

What are the benefits of black rice?

Compared to other types of rice, black rice contains the highest amount of protein and is higher in fiber than white rice and brown rice.

It also contains a compound called anthocyanin. This is a plant pigment that gives Korean purple rice its purple color. It's also the same pigments in blueberries that have antioxidant properties.

But of course, these benefits will be dependent on the ratio of black rice to white rice.

Ingredients

• Medium grain white rice - Korean rice is typically made of medium grain rice. It's twice the length as it is wide and are a bit chewier in texture than long grain rice.

• Medium grain or glutinous black rice - Although there are regular long grain black rice, we found that it doesn't taste as good as medium grain and glutinous black rice. Long grain black rice also does not give off as much purple color.
  • Sometimes you'll find glutinous black rice also labeled as sweet black rice.

• Water - The measurement in our recipe makes soft and slightly chew rice, perfect for eating the day off and for reheating. If you prefer your rice dryer or chewier, you can reduce the water to your preference.

Black rice vs wild rice

Often time, black rice and wild rice can be confused with each other. Both have a black and/or brown appearance and both are rich in nutrients and antioxidants.

However, wild rice is not actually rice. It's a blend of grains from semi-aquatic grass, and it does not give off the same purple color as black rice. So make sure the label says "black rice"!

How to make Korean purple rice

Cooking in a rice cooker:

1. Combine the white and black rice in the inner pot of the rice cooker.

2. Rinse and drain the rice a few times until the water is clear.

3. Add clean water into the pot with the rice. Rinse and drain the rice a few times until the water is clear. Gently shake the pot to level out the rice.

4. Cook the rice on the rice setting. Depending on the brand of rice cooker, the settings may vary.

*For our Cuckoo rice cooker, we usually have it set on the "glutinous" setting. If your rice cooker have "white," "brown," "mix," or "multigrain" options, you can test out each setting using our rice to water ratio.

5. Once the rice cooker is done, let the rice rest for about 5 minutes before fluffy. Enjoy!

Cooking on the stovetop with a saucepan:

1. Combine the white and black rice in the saucepan or a small pot. Rinse and drain the rice a few times until the water is clear.

🌟 Pro tip: At the last rinse, don't drain the water. Let the rice soak in the water for about 30 minutes. Rinse and drain the rice once more.This will help the rice cook evenly on the stovetop.

2. Add the clean water into the saucepan with the rice and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Once it comes to a boil, stir the rice. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot.

3. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and place a lid on the saucepan. Set a timer for 20 minutes.

4. Once the time is up, turn off the heat. Let the rice rest for 5 to 10 minutes before fluffing. If you soaked the rice, you can open the lid immediately after the timer is up.

Cooking on the stovetop with a stone bowl or dutch oven:

1. Combine the white and black rice in a large bowl. Rinse and drain the rice with water a few times until the water is clear.

🌟 Pro tip: At the last rinse, let the rice soak in the water for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain once more. This will help evenly cook the rice on the stovetop.

2. Transfer the rice into the dolsot (stone bowl) or dutch oven. Add the water and bring it to a boil over medium high heat.

3. Give the rice a stir, making sure to scrape the bottom of the cooking vessel. Reduce the heat to low and cover with lid. Set a timer for 20 minutes.

4. Once the timer is up, turn off the heat and let the rice sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before fluffing. If you soaked the rice, you can skip the resting. Enjoy!

Measuring water with your hand

If you lived in an Asian household, you are most likely familiar with measuring the rice and water ratio using the hand method.

There are two methods and both works. However, neither are consistent nor foolproof. We find that this method of measuring rice to water ratio works only if you're making less than 3 cups of rice (uncooked).

The flat palm method:

Level the rice and gently place your palm flat on the rice. Add water until it just reaches the second knuckle on your middle finger.

This method will vary depending on the side of your hand. So you may have to play around to find the perfect spot for your hand.

The finger method:

Add enough water to the rice to cover and a bit more. Shake the pot to level out the rice. Stick your index finger straight down the middle of the rice.

Measuring where the rice and water stops on your finger. You want to aim for equal distance. (ie. The tip of your finger to the top of the rice, and the top of the rice to the where the water stops on your finger should be the same distance.)

My stovetop rice is undercooked

If you fluff your rice and some grains seem undercooked and opaque, you might still be able to rescue it!

Depending on how undercooked your rice is, add 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup water to the rice. Gently flatten the rice so that it's even and leveled. Heat the pot over medium high heat until you heat rapid bubbling then reduce the heat to low.

Cover with the lid and let the rice cook for 5 to 10 more minutes, depending on how much water was added. Turn off the heat and fluff the rice. Your rice should now be perfectly cooked.

Recipe Tips

• If you are cooking rice on the stovetop have time, soak the rice. Soaking rice for at least 30 minutes will promote even cooking on the stove top.

• The purple color is from the black rice. So if you prefer your Korean purple rice darker, use more black rice and vice versa. But do note that using too much black rice can turn the color more dark burgundy.

• If using dolsot (Korean stone bowl), avoid using high heat and soaking in water for too long. Dolsot is a stone/claypot, which is not the best at handling high heat. So use it on no hotter than medium high heat.
  • It is also recommended that prolong water exposure is avoided to keep your dolsot in the best condition.
  • Make sure your dolsot lid does not have a steam escape hole! We need the steam to fully cook the rice.

• If you're not sure if your heat is low enough or too low, go by sound. Sometimes stovetops can be deceiving. Instead, listen to the pot once you turn it down low. If you can hear super gently, soft bubbling, the heat is just right.
  • You have to put your ear super close to the pot, so be careful to not get burned!

What to eat with Korean purple rice

Just like regular white rice, you can consider Korean purple rice as a side. You can eat it with banchans like geotjeori (fresh kimchi) and cucumber kimchi or other sides like steamed eggs.

Besides just eating it plain, you can also incorporate it into your rice dishes like egg fried rice, bibimbap, and kimbap.

Storage

For any leftover rice, remove it immediately from the cooking vessels and portion it into microwave safe containers. Place the lid loosely over the containers and let it cool until no longer warm. Store it in the fridge up to 3 or 4 days.

You can also freeze the rice for 1 to 2 months. Just make sure to place it into an airtight container that's both freezer and microwave safe.

Chilled rice can be microwaved in for about 1.5 to 2 minutes, with the lid placed loosely on the container. For frozen rice, you can either defrost it the night before or microwave for an extra minute or two until hot throughout.

FAQ

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Korean Purple Rice (3 Methods)

Korean purple rice, or huekmi bap (흑미밥), is a popular and healthier rice alternative to plain white rice. It's purple in color and made by cooking medium grain white rice with some black rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 1g | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

Keywords: how to make purple rice, korean black rice