Question 1

Has anyone cooked this rice in an Instant Pot?

Accepted Answer

Yes, all the time. I use a ratio of 1 cup of rice to 1 cup of water. The Instant Pot loses almost no water during pressure cooking, so extra water isn’t necessary. I was skeptical of this ratio at first (included on IP guide sheet for brown rice) but it’s perfect every time.

I usually make 2-3 cups of rice per batch with same number of cups of water. *Note: dry measuring cups and liquid measuring cups are slightly different. May not make a noticeable difference, but I use dry cup for rice, liquid cup for water anyway.

I cook it on high pressure for 22 minutes, followed by natural release. The texture is very chewy but well-cooked. Try +/- time by 1-3 min if you want a different texture.

Question 2

Rebirth rice heirloom thai black rice, are these gmo? genetically modified? per google, black rice is  mutant; by cross breeding. bad for health?

Accepted Answer

hi Pushpa,
Alex here from Rebirth Rice.
Black rice is not GMO per definition. It's anthocyanin, a (natural) plant pigment that colors rice black-purple-reddish, same it does with blueberry, poppy flowers, sweet potato and so on.
Rice is mostly self pollinating, but a lot of food we eat is naturally cross pollinated, this is when 2 varieties of the same species, naturally through wind and insects, pollinate each other in order to produce seeds. Youtube has some insightful videos about this.
That said, people can control this process, by bringing pollen from one variety to another one (as primitive as can be, only with a scissor, pincet/brush, pollen being picked from a real plant and brought to another one, this on the field,  no lab nor genetic engineering involved). Then they wait to see what naturally happens, do the seeds inherit the better characteristics of both parents. If so, the best seeds are grown again and again until the new variety is true-to-type (seeds that pass on a certain set of characteristics like nutrient content, flavor and so on). A great example in Thailand is riceberry, a rather young, natural cross pollination between our rice, heirloom black rice (khao hom nil in Thai) and brown jasmine rice (khao hom mali), no genetic engineering involved, it happens within natural boundaries. GMO is another story, where pieces of genetic material are being exchanged in a lab setting (however, my reply is not about condemning GMO, no misunderstanding here, I just want to be clear what black rice is not).
Thailand is a very free country, but rice is a serious business here and since 2008 the government and academic research centers are committed to keep Thai rice GMO free. More info can be found on gmwatch.org. Also google professor Apichart Vanavichit, he studied in the US, so articles can be found in English, he is the head of rice research in Thailand, relentlessly promoting to keep Thai rice GMO free.  
At the very start, June 2016, we did analyze on GMO once (random blind test), to be sure. Results obviously negative. Reach out and I'll send the official lab document. 
Also note that the farmers we partnered with practice seed saving. half of the seeds are used from previous harvest, while the other half is being exchanged with other rice growers in the network. These seeds are not patented, and they are free. This is what I love about it. We even put 'seed saved' on the box, most people may not notice, but it's essential for the future, a human right, that we are allowed to 'own' our own seeds. 
Alex Cochez MD, Co-founder Rebirth Rice

Question 3

are these rice Organic? Organic seed is not Organic. if the soil is not Organic.

Accepted Answer

Yes

Question 4

When will the heirloom black rice be back in stock?

Accepted Answer

Just keep checking. It is worth the wait.

Rebirth Rice Heirloom Thai Black Rice, BULK: PACK OF 4, 6.25lbs each, VACUUM SEALED | NON-GMO & DIRECT TRADE: find out where our rice grows

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