Yummy Sticky Black Rice
27 May 2008
On our recent trip to Izu we (among other places) stopped off at the historic hot spring resort Shuzenji (some of its structures dating back some 1200 years). In one of the many shops in this charming and very well-kept little village we stumbled over a special variety of rice with a very dark brownish colour, which immediately drew my attention. If with my still somewhat limited Japanese skills I understood her right, the lady at the shop referred to it as "kurokome", meaning black rice, and she advised me to cook it just the same way as white Japanese rice. Later looking it up on the internet I found out that this kind of rice, also referred to as black japonica, is actually a blend of different varieties which are grown on the same field.
Last weekend I had the chance to try it out, and as I suspected it might have quite strong a taste, I decided I had to combine it with something that can actually live up to pronounced flavours. I hence had the idea of using it as a stuffing for some mini squids. Luckily my dear husband gave me a hand with them when I noticed that I had bought them yet uncleaned (I admit that I am kind of lazy about such things...).
Meanwhile I handled the rice – which after cooking had taken an almost purple colour and turned out to be substantially stickier than the ordinary Japanese rice I usually use. It was hence a bit of a mess mixing it with the other ingredients and filling it into the squids' tiny little bodies, but it actually really served its purpose as it would perfectly stay inside the squid, even during frying.
The rice tasted really fabulous. Its natural flavour was even more aromatic than I had expected, even before adding any spices. I decided to keep the seasoning rather mild and simple to fully savour the taste of the rice itself, but gave it a tiny little "fusional" twist by adding a little bit of nutmeg, underlining its nutty aroma.
A little side note: If you cannot get hold of this kind of rice, I suggest taking plain white rice as an alternative and adding some squid ink to it. I recommend using Japanese rice, or in any case some other kind of sticky rice, as it easily stays inside the squid.
Black Rice-Filled Mini Squid
| serves 4 |
| 400g mini squids |
| 400g Japanese black rice |
| 2 red mini peppers (approx. 200g) |
| 4 myoga (alternatvely: 2 small red onions) |
| 2 dents of garlic |
| 50ml mirin |
| approx. 50ml soy sauce (to taste) |
| a pinch of nutmeg |
| some (e.g. olive) oil for frying |
| a lemon to sprinkle on top |
Wash the rice well, rinsing it several times in a bowl until the water stays clear. Cook it, and for the time being leave it without any further seasoning. If you use a rice cooker, take the same amount of water as rice and add an extra 100ml on top. If you do not use a rice cooker you may need a little bit more water as more steam tends to escape. In the latter case, simmer the rice at low temperature, leaving the lid closed for the entire cooking time so steam can develop.
Clean the mini squids, removing all the inner parts without damaging their tube-shaped bodies, which will be stuffed with the rice later on. Cut off the little legs, chop them into very small pieces, and also set aside.
Chop the myoga as well as the peppers into little pieces of only a few millimeters. Briefly sauté them in a little bit of olive oil. Then shift them to the sides of the pan and add the garlic, mashed through a garlic press, to the free spot. Slightly roast it but mix with the other ingredients before it starts getting brown. Shift everything to the side again to make some space for the chopped squid legs and add another dash of oil if necessary. Briefly fry the squid legs at medium heat while moving them constantly so they get evenly roasted, and mix with the vegetables after just a minute or so.
Now stir in the cooked rice, making sure to mix it well with the other ingredients. Add the mirin as well as a pinch of nutmeg and finally season to taste with soy sauce, stirring everything well again.
Fill the squid bodies with the rice mixture, making sure not to break them. I used the back of a spoon for this purpose, which would actually fit through the small whole to stuff them from. Once stuffed, sear the squid for about a minute on each side. Serve while still hot, with the remainder of the rice mixture aside in an extra bowl. To finish, sprinkle some a little bit of lemon juice on top.