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Recipe Hippie

A free spirited approach towards Mediterranean diet recipes

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Purple Rice

June 24, 2020 by Recipe Hippie | Affiliate Disclaimer
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“Purple rice, purple riicceee”- Prince voice. This rice is not dyed with food coloring. Purple rice uses the natural colors of red cabbage and red onion to color the white rice. One thing that natural food coloring does that artificial does not, is that it also flavors the food! This rice has a slight ‘cabbagey’ flavor, but is mostly overpowered by the ginger and garlic, which is a great way to trick the picky eater into eating red cabbage! The pigment in red cabbage comes from molecules called ‘anthocyanins’ which interact with the pH of the environment and changes color accordingly. Since red onions are slightly acidic, the pigment of the dye produced by the red cabbage turns pinkish-purple, where as if it was a completely alkaline or basic ingredient, it would turn green. Pretty cool, huh?!

the ingredients to make purple rice

The importance of color in cooking and eating:

You know the old saying, “you eat with your eyes”? Well it is 100% true when it comes to the human species. Our brains have been wired to find our food with our eyes in order to hunt/forage it for survival. Color, gloss, shape and learned associations can all have an immediate effect on how we perceive our food to taste. One study demonstrated that adding food coloring (red, green, or yellow) to a clear solution, made people detect certain basic tastes at a higher level when those tastes were presented in the solution. (2) “Adding green food coloring decreased people’s detection threshold for sourness, while at the same time increasing the threshold for the detection of sweetness. The addition of yellow coloring reduced the detection threshold for both sourness and sweetness, while the addition of red coloring reduced the threshold for the detection of bitterness.” (1)

Thrive Market:

Have you guys checked out ‘Thrive Market’ yet? It’s an online grocery store that specifically sells quality items that are vegan, vegetarian, organic, paleo, whole 30 and much more! Plus everything is so inexpensive because they get the items straight from the manufacturer. It is a $60 membership fee (same as Costco and BJ’s), but most members say they make that money back in the first few orders. And if you DON’T make it back, Thrive Market will refund you the difference! So what are you waiting for? Get the healthy foods you love delivered straight to your door for a fraction of the cost.

So what does this mean for our purple rice?

Well, it means that who ever you serve this rice to MIGHT perceive the rice to taste a certain way PRIOR to actually tasting it. All in all, it doesn’t mean much. But it’s pretty interesting, is it not?! And if you have children or family members who are picky eaters, its a great way to get them to eat red cabbage without them even knowing it! Just place a bowl of pretty purple rice in front of them, tell them it’s ‘purple people eater food’ and watch them gobble it down, unknowingly ingesting high levels of antioxidants and flavonoids!

Citations:

(1) Spence, C. On the psychological impact of food colour. Flavour 4, 21 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13411-015-0031-3

(2)Maga JA. Influence of color on taste thresholds. Chem Senses Flavor. 1974;1:115–9.

Rice Container Airtight BPA Free 5lb Capacity

Purple Rice

This delicious purple rice recipe braises red cabbage and red onion in white wine, butter, ginger and garlic to yield a beautiful purple hue to the rice.
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Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Course Base, Dinner, Side
Cuisine American, asian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup white wine Dry is best, but any will do except Moscato or Riesling (too sweet)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped red cabbage
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp ginger, minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups white rice
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tbsp oil (olive, avocado, coconut, canola…whatever you have)

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium/high heat. Add chopped red onion and chopped red cabbage to the pot and cook over medium/high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Now add the white wine, ginger and garlic. Braise for another 5 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally.
  • Mix in the white rice until fully combined with the cabbage and red onion. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
  • Add your water: If you are cooking for less/more than 4 people, remember the 1:2 ratio. If you are using 1 cup of rice, use 2 cups of water, 2 cups of rice, 4 cups of water and so on.
  • Add your salt and do not stir. Stirring the rice will make it more prone to burning. Place a lid over the top and simmer for 20-25 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Take off of heat and let sit another 5 minutes with the lid on. Enjoy!
Keyword braised, Butter, cauliflower rice, crispy garlic chicken, ginger, purple cabbage, purple rice, red cabbage, red onion, rice dish, white wine

Did you like my ‘Purple Rice’ recipe? If so, go check out my ‘One Pot Chicken and Lentil Stew‘ recipe!

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Category: Dinner Recipes, Sides Dishes
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Affiliate Disclaimer

My posts may contain affiliate links. Every one of the affiliate companies is a company that I stand by and believe in. If you choose to purchase something through their link on my website, you won’t pay a penny more, but I will receive a small commission. It helps me to continue to create great content for you! Thanks!

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Hey, I’m Liz!

I am SO thrilled to meet you!

I’m a Physical Therapy Assistant turned food blogger, and love merging my intrigue for the human body with my passion for all things food! I’m here to show you that enjoying a Mediterranean diet doesn’t mean that you can only eat Mediterranean food! I can’t wait to show you how rewarding the MedDiet lifestyle can be!

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About Me

Hello! I am the recipe hippie, and I am here to give you a free spirited approach towards home cooking. When it comes to the ingredients you have available, I challenge you to reject your conventional notions around recipes and think outside of the box. Substitutions are encouraged! So open up your pantry, get creative and have fun. Some of the greatest things in life originated through improvisation!

Hello! I am the recipe hippie, and I am here to give you a free spirited approach towards home cooking!

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