Black aromatic rice cooked in full-fat milk with sugar — a strikingly beautiful deep-purple rice pudding made with the GI-tagged black rice variety shared between Tripura and Manipur.
Ingredients
1/2 cup chak hao (black rice / purple rice — available at Indian stores and health food stores; has a natural floral aroma; GI tagged from Manipur; also grown in Tripura)
1 litre full-fat milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp cashews — fried in 1 tsp ghee until golden
A pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk (optional)
Method
Wash 1/2 cup black rice in cold water 2 to 3 times.
Soak in 2 cups cold water for 2 hours — the soaking water will turn deep purple-black from the natural anthocyanin pigments. Drain.
Pour 1 litre full-fat milk into a heavy pot.
Bring to a boil on medium heat. Reduce to medium-low.
Add the drained black rice to the simmering milk. Stir well.
Cook on medium-low for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes.
Black rice takes considerably longer to cook than white rice. The milk will gradually turn from white to pale purple to a vivid, deep jewel-purple as the rice cooks. Scrape the sides regularly.
Test after 40 minutes: press a grain between fingers — it should mash with slight effort but have a pleasant chewiness.
Black rice retains a slight chew even when fully cooked.
Add sugar. Stir until dissolved. Simmer 5 more minutes.
The colour deepens further with heat.
Add ghee, cardamom powder and saffron-infused milk if using. Stir.
Add fried cashews. Serve warm or chilled for 2 hours — the colour and flavour intensify when cold.