If you asked me 10 years ago, what a perfect bowl of rice should look like, it would be far from this. Growing up, a good bowl of rice was long-grained, white, and fluffy. Then, the whole brown rice revolution swept the healthy food world, and I went along for the ride. Gone were the days when I coveted plain jane white rice for dinner. I became obsessed with maximizing grams of dietary fiber per serving and found myself reaching for colored rice at the supermarket. Of course, Mama Lin had a few choice words for me when I dared to refuse white rice at her dinner table.
“Are you on a diet?
You can lose a few pounds, but don’t starve yourself.
Eat your rice so you can stay full.
You want brown rice? Why? It doesn’t even taste good.
Here, let me scoop some of this [white rice] up for you.”
Mothers. Don’t ever try to argue with them.
Under normal circumstances, I would toss in some beaten eggs and five-spice powder into my fried rice. Let’s throw that idea out the window because we’re about trying new flavors today. Gochujang. Many of you know about this Korean red pepper paste already, but this is my latest obsession. Stir some with a bit of scrambled eggs, noodles, or potato hash. Oh my. What can’t I have gochujang with?
This stir-fry is a full on wham, bam, pow of flavor. Are you ready for some gochujang and forbidden rice in your life?
Forbidden Rice Stir Fry & Baked Teriyaki Tofu
Ingredients
Forbidden Rice Stir Fry
- 1 1/3 cups (270g) forbidden or black rice
- 3 cups (725ml) water
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 small red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 medium red pepper, diced
- 2 TBS gochujang, Korean red pepper paste
- 1 TBS MSG-free oyster sauce
- 1/2 TBS low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 stalk of green onion, sliced
- 1 bunch baby gai lan, or any other Asian greens, trimmed
Baked Tofu
- 1 15-ounce (425g) package of extra firm tofu
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1 1/2 TBS teriyaki sauce
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Place the rice and water in a medium saucepan and bring it to boil. Once the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes minutes, or until all the water is evaporated. Turn off the heat, and put a lid on the saucepan for the rice to finish cooking.
- While the rice is cooking, drain the water from the tofu, and wrap it with two paper towels. Press the tofu by setting it between a plate and a heavy object on top. I usually put a saucepan on top of the tofu and weigh it down with a bag of sugar or flour. Press the tofu for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Chop the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Toss the tofu with one tablespoon of olive oil, teriyaki sauce, and salt. Arrange the tofu on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the tofu has browned, and flip the cubes to another side. Continue flipping the tofu every 10 minutes until all the sides are browned.
- In a large saute pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onions, and stir until they start to brown. Add the cabbage, and let it cook for 3 minutes. Next, add the red peppers and let it cook for 2 minutes. Add the cooked rice and stir for 2 minutes. Season the rice with gochujang, oyster sauce, and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Mix in the green onions, saving a little for garnish. Let everything cook for another minute or two and turn off the heat.
- In a small pot, bring about 4 cups of water to boil. Once the water is bubbling, add the baby gai lan and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it turns into a vibrant green color.
- Serve the fried rice with some gai lan and baked tofu on the side. Garnish with more green onions, if you like.
Looking for more fried rice recipes?
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Joanne says
I’m OBSESSED with gochujang!! Seriously, I’ve been putting it on all the things lately. Definitely need to find forbidden rice and try it out in a rice stir fry!
Lisa says
I don’t know how it would work, but you should definitely make a $10 toast recipe with gochujang! I would be ALL OVER it.
Farrah says
I love the colors in this! <3 I only have a tinytiny amount of gochujang left, but if I can manage to locate forbidden rice somewhere, I'm definitely trying this! *-*
Lisa says
Thanks, Farrah! I love that we all have a bit of gochujang lying around in the house!
christine says
This is such a beautiful dish. I love the look and the sound of the flavors going on.
Lisa says
Thanks, Christine!
Cookin Canuck says
The colors of this are so pretty and now I need to get a hold of some of that red pepper paste! I believe that Forbidden rice got its name because it was considered so nutritionally beneficial that only the emperors were allowed to eat it. Thank goodness that’s not the case anymore!
Lisa says
Thanks, Dara! Yes, I had read that somewhere along with another theory that the Greeks banned it when they conquered the Middle East. Typical, isn’t it–no one ever knows the true origins of a type of ancient food!
Lauren @ Eating with a Purpose says
I adore forbidden rice- I can’t wait to try this recipe and gochujang (I’ve never tried it before, but it sounds delicious)!
Lisa says
Thanks, Lauren! Let me know what you think!
Laura @PetiteAllergyTreats says
Love forbidden rice! I’ve only eaten it plain with some veggies before but your version looks Amazing! Pinned.
Lisa says
Thanks, Laura!
Cindy says
This dish is so colorful, I love it! and I always have gochujang in the refrigerator (right now I have two HUGE jars, courtesy of my mom, haha!)
Lisa says
Haha, why am I not surprised that your mother did that? It’s like my mother shoving large bottles of oyster sauce in my face.
GiGi Eats says
Black rice = so crazy nutritious!!!!!! Time to shovel in about 10 cups worth! LOL
Lisa says
Haha, yes!
Debbie @ Coach Debbie Run says
Two new things to try..forbidden rice and gochujang (the auto correct on my iPad wanted that to be “go humans!”). Love the colors in this dish.
Lisa says
Haha, yes! Go humans!!
Alex says
Oh wow this looks incredible!! Gorgeous photography by the way! I love forbidden rice and was just talking about how good it is for you earlier today! Can’t wait to try this one!
Lisa says
No way, what a coincidence!!