Red Rice - Kow Mun Pboo ข้าวมันปู

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Red Rice has become an addiction for me. It started when we all wanted to get healthy and tried the different types of rice. I loved the color of the rice and first selected it purely based on aesthetics.

It was not easy to get everyone in the household to shift from jasmine rice to something different. Also, cooked red rice is not as tender as milled jasmine rice that I was used to. So, I started out with just a handful of red rice mixed with jasmine rice. The red rice stood out amongst the white grains, looking just beautiful. Slowly I increase the red rice to jasmine rice ratio but just enough to still keep the rice tender. Now, I'm comfortable with 50-75% red rice to jasmine rice. I'm now so used to eating red rice now that when I eat elsewhere, it seems like something is missing.

The Red Rice has a nutty flavor and chewy while jasmine rice us soft and gummy. To get the benefits of both types of rice, this recipe has 50% red rice and 50% jasmine rice. The result is soft and colorful rice with the bran benefit.

4-6 Servings, Prep Time: 5 Minutes, Total Time: 35 Minutes

1 cup Jasmine Rice
3 cups water
1 cup Red Rice

Tips and Techniques

No need to rinse or pre-soak the rice.
The rice reheats well in microwave.
To keep the grains intact, I recommend 'no stirring'. With low heat and liquid, the rice will not burn, so there is no need to stir.

Method

Cooking Red Rice can be done in 2 different methods, rice cooker and stove top. There is no difference in the taste or texture between the 2 methods.

Cooking with Rice Cooker (pictures 1 - 3)

Some rice cookers have a brown rice setting which takes a lot longer to cook. However, with my rice cooker, I found no difference in taste between the brown rice setting and regular rice setting.

Follow the instructions on your rice cooker. On mine, I add the rice and water, press the button and wait for one hour.

Cooking on Stove Top (pictures 4 - 6)

In a 2 quart pot, add the rice and water. Let the rice boil for about 15 minutes. Leave the lid off to prevent the pot from boiling over. You'll see the brownish cloudy water bubbling away.

When the water level starts to go down to the same level or lower than the rice, turn down the heat to the lowest setting and cover the pot. On the lowest setting, you should still be able to see steam rising from the pot. Let the rice cook for another 15 minutes. When the rice is done, keep the cover on until you're ready to serve.

I can keep my rice on the lowest heat setting for about an hour without burning the bottom. During this time, while the rice stays warm, I can prepare my other dishes.

When you cook the Red Rice for the first time, taste and see how you like the chewiness. If the rice feels undercooked, you can let the rice sit on the stove at low heat for 5-10 minutes more.

Fluff the rice by gently using the flat part of a rice paddle or spoon to push the rice apart. Serve warm. Red rice goes well with any of the dishes that you would eat with jasmine rice.