Salad Samurai

SERVES: 2

TIME: 20 MINUTES, NOT INCLUDING COOKING THE RICE

Black rice is a beautiful thing to behold, and it is featured in two very different salads in this book. You could add 1 cup of diced baked tofu (see That ’70s Tofu on page 45) to this texture-loaded salad dressed in sweet-piquant caramelized shallot dressing, but the hearty crunch of broccoli and the satisfying richness of ground peanuts may be enough. Until you’re ready for seconds!

For salad sooner, use leftover brown rice from yesterday’s takeout (see The Spin tip). Grind the peanuts in a food processor until crumbly, or use a big mortar and pestle and pound them into chunky crumbs.

RICE SALAD

1 cup water

½ cup uncooked black or red rice

Pinch of salt

1 pound broccoli

4 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced

1 cup lightly packed, chopped fresh cilantro

½ cup roasted peanuts, coarsely ground

LEMONGRASS SHALLOT DRESSING

2 large shallots, diced

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 stalk lemongrass, prepared as directed in Ingredient Talk (page 11), or 1 tablespoon jarred lemongrass

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoons coconut sugar or organic brown sugar

1 tablespoon Sriracha

1 In a large saucepan, bring the water to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice and salt and bring to a boil again. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the rice is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 40 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and gently stir with a fork. Set aside to cool while you prepare the remaining salad ingredients.

2 Slice the broccoli florets from the stems, then slice the florets into bite-size pieces. Trim about 2 inches from the bottom of the stems and use a veggie peeler to strip away the tough skin from the stems, then dice the stems into ½-inch cubes. Steam the florets and cubes for 2 to 3 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp. Rinse with cool water, shake away excess moisture, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked rice, scallions, cilantro, and peanuts.

3 Prepare the dressing: in a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the shallots with the peanut oil for 5 minutes, or until the shallots are golden and slightly caramelized. Add the lemongrass and ginger and sauté another 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the lime juice, tamari, sugar, and Sriracha. Pour the warm dressing over the broccoli and rice, use tongs to coat everything, and serve immediately. If desired, garnish with extra ground peanuts.