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    Home » Recipes » Thai

    Updated: Oct 18, 2023 by Marc Matsumoto · 24 Comments

    All About Riceberry

    Riceberry is a hybrid Thai rice that's nutrient dense and yet it cooks just like regular Jasmine rice. With a stunning purple hue and savory flavor, it's being billed as the next superfood. But does it live up to the hype?
    Recipe Video Pin
    Riceberry is a wholegrain rice that's loaded with nutrients and yet it cooks up just like white rice.

    I discovered this relatively new cultivar of rice on a recent trip to Thailand, and it's become one of my favorite types of rice. Not only is it loaded with nutrients, it also tastes good and cooks in the same amount of time as regular white rice.

    What is Riceberry?

    Riceberry is a cultivar of rice that was created by hybridizing Hom Nil (black jasmine rice) with Khao Dok Mali 105 (another type of jasmine rice). It's a long grain rice that has a reddish black color when raw, that turns purplish black when cooked. Because Riceberry is a whole grain rice, the bran and germ have not been milled off; however, unlike brown rice, it cooks in the same amount of time as white rice.

    If you eat more than one grain of Riceberry are you eating Riceberries?

    In the same way "rice" is both the singular and plural form of the word, Riceberry is both the singular and plural name for this cultivar.

    Where does riceberry get its color from?

    The purple hue of this rice is caused by anthocyanins, which are a naturally occurring pigment and antioxidant. At the time of this writing, there is no scientific evidence to indicate anthocyanins have any health benefit as they are poorly conserved in the body. That being said, other flavonoids that tend to exist alongside anthocyanin-rich foods, may increase the levels of antioxidants in your bloodstream.

    Riceberry is a nutrient-dense cultivar of Thai rice with a stunning purple-black color.

    If anthocyanins aren't beneficial, why is Riceberry called a superfood?

    I hate the term "superfood" because it's a meaningless catchphrase that's kind of like the term "lite" (hint: there's no such word). It gives people the impression that if they eat this one thing, that's all they have to due to be healthy, which couldn't be further from the truth. That being said, Riceberry has a high concentration of beneficial nutrients such as vitamin E, vitamin B1, iron, and omega 3 at much higher levels than in other types of rice.

    My thinking around it goes like this: I love rice and will probably never stop eating it, so if I'm going to have rice, I may as well eat one that's as nutrient dense as possible. The things that have kept me from consuming brown rice regularly are that it takes forever to cook, and it doesn't taste very good. Riceberry fixes both of these problems, which makes it pretty super in my book.

    Where is Riceberry from?

    Riceberry was developed by the Rice Science Center & Rice Gene Discovery Unit in Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand.

    What does Riceberry taste like?

    Unlike most varieties of rice, Riceberry has a strong fragrance that's savory and almost meaty in the aroma. Because it's a whole grain rice, the bran gives it a similar texture to brown rice; however, the interior is tender, nutty and a little sweet.

    The deep purple-black hue of Riceberry is indicative of it's nutrient content and it has a rich meaty flavor that pairs well with Thai food.

    How do you cook Riceberry?

    The process for cooking Riceberry is similar to preparing almost any kind of rice; however, there are two significant differences. The first is that you don't need to wash it, and the second is the amount of water you use to cook it. I like using a weight ratio of 1 part riceberry to 2 parts water. If you're using volumetric measurements such as US cups, the ratio is more like 1 cup of rice to 1 ⅔ cups water. This results in rice that is tender on the inside but still has just a bit of chew. If you like your rice softer, you can increase the amount of water slightly and cook it for a little longer before steaming it.

    As for the process, it's just a matter of adding the rice and water to a pot and then covering it and bringing it to a boil before lowering the heat and letting it simmer for twenty minutes. Once the rice is done cooking, it's important to allow the rice to continue steaming for another ten minutes off the heat without opening the lid; this step ensures the rice is tender to the core.

    If you're using a rice cooker, you can use the rice cooker cup to measure out the rice; however, I recommend adding extra water as the lines in the rice cooker are calibrated for white rice.

    📖 Recipe

    Riceberry is a nutrient-dense cultivar of Thai rice with a stunning purple-black color.

    Riceberry

    4.42 from 12 votes
    Print Pin Discuss
    Prep Time 0 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Yield 4 servings

    Units

    Ingredients 

    • 100 grams Riceberry about 1 US cup
    • 200 grams water 1 ⅔ US cups

    Instructions

    • Add the riceberry and water to a heavy bottomed pot. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
      Adding water and Riceberry to a heavy bottomed pot.
    • When you see a steady stream of steam escaping from the lid, turn down the heat until you don't see much steam escaping and set the timer for 20 minutes.
      Steam escaping from a Dutch oven cooking Riceberry.
    • When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and let the Riceberry steam for another 10 minutes without opening the lid.
      Light green Dutch oven cooking rice.
    • After the rice is done steaming, remove the lid, and use a rice paddle or spoon to fluff the Riceberry and serve.
      Fluffing cooked Riceberry using a rice paddle.
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    Nutrition

    Calories 92kcalCarbohydrates 19gProtein 1gSodium 4mgPotassium 55mgCalcium 6mgIron 0.4mg

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Glenn Nolan says

      November 11, 2023 at 6:35 am

      Marc,
      I have a Zojirushi rice cooker that I just love to use, it cooks rice and oats perfectly, do you know if I can cook riceberry rice in it?

      i

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        November 12, 2023 at 1:02 pm

        Hi Glenn, I don't own a Zojirushi, but I've cooked riceberry before in my Mitsubishi rice cooker without any problems.

        Reply
    2. Kalpana says

      July 27, 2023 at 6:55 am

      Can I make dosa by using this rice ?

      Reply
      • Marc says

        July 27, 2023 at 2:42 pm

        Hi Kalpana, that's a good question! I've never tried it so I can't say for sure, but it's a varietal of long-grain rice, so I don't see why it wouldn't work. It would certainly make for a colorful dosa! Let me know how it goes if you end up trying it out!

        Reply
    3. Phoebe says

      July 16, 2023 at 3:54 am

      Should you only buy organic organic rice berry rice?

      Reply
      • Marc says

        July 17, 2023 at 4:28 pm

        Hi Phoebe, that's up to you. Some people prefer organic products because less chemicals are used in their production. It won't really effect the taste of the rice.

        Reply
    4. David Zodun says

      March 15, 2023 at 11:38 pm

      I'm from Virginia but I live in Thailand. I eat very little white rice but I do enjoy riceberry. There is also
      now in Thailand a new "milk" product called riceberry milk. It tastes pretty good but I am not sure how healthy it is. One of my Thai friends drinks a lot of it and I am worried how good it is for her.

      Reply
    5. Deb says

      December 07, 2022 at 4:59 am

      Just cooked Riceberry rice in JJ microwave steamer for first time and still had cup of water in the bottom of the steamer when done. Is this normal or have I used too much water?
      More importantly, is this water now full of nutrients or should I just dump it?
      Thank You!

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        December 09, 2022 at 2:17 pm

        Hi Deb, I'm sorry to hear you're having problems. I'm not familiar with how a JJ Microwave steamer works, so it's possible the this recipe (which is meant to be done on the stove) will not work. As for the water, it will have some nutrients, but whether you drink it or not is up to you.

        Reply
    6. Jonathan Kutler says

      May 12, 2022 at 2:52 am

      What is the difference between riceberry and jasberry rice?
      Thank you,
      Jonathan Kutler

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        May 12, 2022 at 7:24 am

        Good question! It looks like both are trademarked terms, but Riceberry is trademarked by a public university in Thailand (i.e. the Thai government) while jasberry is trademarked by a company. It could be that the producers of jasberry didn't want to pay licensing fees to sell their rice under the Riceberry name, or they came up with a new hybrid (I couldn't find any info on what the exact hybrid is).

        Reply
    7. Disha says

      November 12, 2020 at 12:30 pm

      Do you have to rinse the rice or best to avoid rinsing?

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        November 12, 2020 at 12:54 pm

        It's up to you. Milled rice is usually washed to get rid of excess starch on the surface, but since this is a whole grain rice, it's not necessary. That being said, if you're worried about the rice being dirty, you can wash it.

        Reply
        • Vladimir Minkovich says

          February 13, 2022 at 2:43 pm

          I am making very tasty rice berry's pilaf in the oven , it's comes out 😋!

          Reply
    8. Sheri-Lyn O'Leary says

      February 23, 2020 at 5:31 am

      Silly question but in the pkg it says a serving is 1/4 cup. Is that uncooked or cooked? 1/4 cup will be 1 cup cooked?

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        February 23, 2020 at 11:06 am

        Hi Sheri-Lyn, I'm guessing that that's uncooked. Rice triples in volume after it's cooked so 1/4 cup should make about 3/4 cup of cooked rice.

        Reply
    9. Rachel says

      March 08, 2019 at 9:43 am

      Do you recommend any brands or vendors to get riceberry from?

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        March 09, 2019 at 12:47 pm

        Hi Rachael, there are a bunch of different brands, but I think the easiest place to find it is on Amazon. Otherwise you can try Thai grocery store, or health foods stores.

        Reply
      • Guy says

        October 13, 2019 at 3:50 am

        I'm eating Thai grocery store brand "Rice Berry" this evening and it's surprisingly sticky and glutinous. I bought it thinking I was purchasing something like a more traditional red rice variety.

        I hadn't planned on using it for dessert, but we'll see if the leftovers are too sticky to stir fry tomorrow morning. The texture is a bit odd, in that it sticks to itself like gangbusters but it doesn't really stick to my fingers.

        I really don't want to blend this with the polished white rice. It's fine for dinner where I'd otherwise use jasmine rice, it's different, it's good and it's quantifiably better.

        Reply
    10. Carolyn says

      March 07, 2019 at 2:28 pm

      Where can Riceberry be purchased in the US? Thai grocery store, Asian grocery store, or american supermarket? Is it a specialty to Asian only stores? Thanks for your help.

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        March 09, 2019 at 12:46 pm

        Hi Carolyn, they carry it on Amazon, but it's a bit expensive. You may be able to find it for a little less at. Thai grocery store, or at a health foods store.

        Reply
      • Terry McGovern says

        May 25, 2020 at 12:34 am

        I have found them at oriental grocery I don’t know if it was priced wrong it was $15.00 less then the ones on Amazon at the time. Golden Camel brand sold by AFF Imports out of Norcross Ga. they have no online business I purchased it @ Jason’s Produce Melbourne ,Fla

        Reply
      • David says

        September 23, 2020 at 9:19 am

        I bought mine at Walmart in Canada

        Reply
      • KJ T. says

        May 06, 2021 at 9:40 am

        Any Southeast Asian or East Asian grocer should have it.

        Reply

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