Cold Forbidden Rice Salad

The name is intriguing...Forbidden Rice...it is not as naughty as its' name implies.  In fact it is good for you as some "naughty" things can be.  That is another topic entirely.
 Every Monday evening I have dinner with some of my friends from Sangha before we go to Sangha.  It is a potluck so they, often, are the taste testers of my kitchen experiments.  I do use recipes but I change them to make them my own.  I am usually successful as a result of my new found love of food and working with chefs for hours each week.  Last night I took a shot at a cold Forbidden Rice Salad and it was a hit.  The basic recipe comes from The Cancer Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz.  I use this book all of the time.  Forbidden Rice is purple which makes it fun and nutritious.  The purple color means it contains phytochemicals and antioxidants.  Normally this would be served warm and with a few added ingredients but today you are getting my recipe.  Give it a try.  It is simple.  That is a requirement in my kitchen.    I know that Whole Foods carries Forbidden Rice but I have not seen it in many other grocery stores.  Also, you need to soak the rice, preferably overnight as you should with most all grains.  Forbidden Rice has a soft, creamy texture when ready.

1 cup Forbidden Rice
2 cups water
3-4 small slices of fresh ginger
2 Star Anise pods
1 fresh lime, juiced
2 tbs. Brown Rice Vinegar
Approx. 1 tbs. freshly grated ginger (to your taste really)
4 Brazil nuts, grated
Raisins to your taste
Sea Salt

Bring the water to a boil and add the sliced ginger, star anise, sea salt and rice.  Lower the heat, cover and cook for approx. 30 minutes or until rice is tender.  Drain, picking out the star anise and ginger.
Juice the lime into a small bowl adding the rice vinegar and grated ginger.  Mix and drizzle over the rice.  Add raisins and grate the Brazil nuts over the top.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Rebecca's recipe calls for adding finely chopped cilantro, mint or basil and 2 tbs. of finely chopped red bell pepper.  I think that the mint and bell pepper would be fantastic minus the raisins. Also,finely chopped crisp apples with raisins would be lovely too.  I have not tried this, yet. 
Part of the joy of cooking is playing with flavor combinations and textures.  Buy a beautiful cookbook or raw foods prep. book and play, make those recipes your own.