Multigrain Rice (Japgokbap)

When I was growing up, white rice was an expensive luxury, so my grandmother made a blend of 70 percent barley (which was relatively cheap) and 30 percent white rice to serve with every meal. These days, everyone is eating multigrain rice for health reasons, and it’s more expensive to make than white! I like to blend white rice with barley, brown sweet rice (which is sticky but not sweet), and a couple of tablespoons of black rice, which gives the dish a pretty pale purple color, but you can omit the black rice if you prefer. The most important thing when making this blend is to soak it for 2 hours before cooking. Soaked grains will cook in about 30 minutes, but unsoaked grains will never fully soften, no matter how long you cook them. Also important: Fluff the rice with a wooden spoon once when it is cooked and then serve immediately.

MAKES: about 5 cups, 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup short-grain rice
• ½ cup brown sweet rice (hyeonmi-chapssel)
• ½ cup barley
• 2 tablespoons black sweet rice (optional)
• 2½ cups water

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine the short-grain rice, brown sweet rice, barley, and black sweet rice, if using, in a medium heavy saucepan, cover with cold water, and stir with your hand, then drain by tilting the pan as far as you can over the sink without pouring out any rice. Continue to rinse, stir, and drain the rice until the water runs clear.
2. Add the 2½ cups water to the pan, cover, and let stand for 2 hours.
3. Set the pan over medium-high heat, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Turn the rice over when the surface is covered with abundant bubbles that are spluttering noisily and look like they are about to overflow the pan. Turn, scraping the bottom of the pan, then turn the heat to low, cover, and cook until the grains are tender, 10 to 12 minutes longer.
5. Fluff with a wooden spoon to release excess steam and serve immediately. Or let the fluffed rice stand, covered, at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours before serving.

NOTE:

• You can refrigerate the cooked rice for up to 3 days.
• To serve, reheat it in a steamer basket in a pot of simmering water or reheat it in the microwave.