Buckwheat and Broccoli Salad in Tangy Miso Dressing
African Millet Salad with Corn and Peppers
Chilled Soba with Crispy Sweet Tofu and Watercress
Szechuan Chicken and Red Rice Salad with Sesame Dressing
Crunchy Farro Salad with Artichokes, Red Bell Peppers, and Edamame
Indonesian Red Rice Salad with Boiled Eggs and Macadamias
Composed Salad of Grains with Hazelnut Vinaigrette
Summer Grilled Vegetable Salad with Black Rice and Arugula
Soba Rolls with Hazelnuts and Black Sesame Sauce
THE DARK FAVOR OF BUCKWHEAT GIVES THIS SALAD A RANGE OF TASTES, from the deep, nutty grains to the tangy, sweet dressing. Brown and pigmented rices, wheat berries, and other grains are equally good with the miso dressing.
1 cup buckwheat groats
1½ cups water
2 tablespoons red miso
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups broccoli florets, blanched
½ cup julienned carrot
2 scallions, minced
½ cup cashews, toasted
In a small, heavy saucepan, heat the buckwheat groats over medium-high heat. Swirl the groats in the pan, toasting them until they are crackling, hot to the touch, and fragrant, about 5 minutes. In a wire-mesh strainer, wash the hot buckwheat quickly and drain thoroughly. Put the 1½ cups water in the pan and bring to a boil. Add the buckwheat, return to a boil, cover tightly, and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cook for about 20 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed. Take the pan off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes, then transfer the cooked grain to a bowl, cover, and let cool to room temperature.
In a large measuring cup, whisk the miso, canola oil, and vinegar until smooth. Whisk in the sesame oil, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes, and honey. Pour the dressing over the cooled buckwheat and toss to coat.
To serve, spread the buckwheat on a platter, and top with the broccoli, carrot, and scallions. Sprinkle the cashews over the salad and serve. Alternatively, mix the veggies into the grain and chill.
MILLET IS AN ANCIENT AFRICAN STAPLE FOOD, always served soft enough to eat with the fingers. In this recipe, you infuse the grains with spices and aromatics before cooking, for maximum flavor, and the sautéing step also helps keep the grains separate. The brilliant golden millet can be replaced with quicker-cooking whole wheat couscous, or even rice.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, julienned (about 1½ cups)
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 cup millet
1½ cups water
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 8-ounce can “extra crunchy” corn, drained
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 whole Roma tomato, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup roasted peanuts, chopped
In a 2-quart saucepan, with a tight-fitting lid, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then sauté the onion over medium heat until very golden and soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute, then add the paprika, black pepper, allspice, and cayenne and cook for a minute more. Wash the millet quickly and drain. Add the millet to the pan and stir, coating the grains and cooking until hot to the touch. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer on low for 20 minutes before checking for doneness. When all the liquid is absorbed and the grain is tender, cover and take the pan off the heat for 10 minutes to steam. Scrape the cooked millet into a bowl and cover, then let cool.
Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with the lemon juice and brown sugar in a small bowl. Stir the corn, bell pepper, tomato, and parsley into the cooled millet mixture, then drizzle the dressing over it and stir to coat. Serve topped with the peanuts.
10 ounces Chinese-style extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 bunch asparagus
8 ounces soba noodles
2 cups watercress leaves, washed and dried
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1½ teaspoons salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1 tablespoon canola oil
¼ cup maple syrup
4 large scallions, slivered
SLEEK BUCKWHEAT NOODLES IN SAVORY SESAME DRESSING with peppery watercress make a bed for sweet and spicy tofu squares. This cold pasta is perfect served in rustic noodle bowls with chopsticks. Look for 100 percent buckwheat soba, as many brands are mostly refined wheat. All-buckwheat soba is trickier and more expensive to make, and more delicate to cook, but the flavor and nutrition are worth seeking out.
Drain the tofu, wrap it in a kitchen towel, and place a cutting board on top to press out the water. Put a heavy pot on the board as a weight. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Slice about 2 inches off the tips of the asparagus, then cut the tender middle part of the stems into ½-inch pieces. Cook the soba according to the package directions, adding the asparagus tips and pieces to the pot for the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly, then put in a medium bowl. Add the watercress leaves. In a small bowl, whisk the sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper and toss with the soba and asparagus. Chill.
Cut the tofu into ½-inch slices, then cut them in half. Lay them on a plate and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the cayenne (if using). In a large sauté pan, heat the canola oil and maple syrup over medium-high heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Carefully place the tofu slices into the bubbling syrup. Cook for 3 minutes, then flip and cook for 3 minutes more. Use your spatula to scoop the maple glaze over the tofu as it cooks. When the tofu is golden brown and most of the liquid is absorbed, lift the tofu out of the pan, leaving the oil behind.
Serve 1 cup noodles topped with one-fourth of the hot tofu, and scatter the scallions on top.
THE CLASSIC NOODLE SALAD IS WAY BETTER MADE WITH WHOLE-GRAIN RICE. If you can get Szechuan peppercorns for this salad, crush them fresh for their unique, tongue-tingling flavor. Use the smaller measure of water for Himalayan red rice, and the larger for Wehani or other longer, larger-grain red rice.
1¾ to 2 cups water
1 cup red rice, washed and rinsed
3 tablespoons tahini
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon hot sesame oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed szechuan peppercorns (optional)
½ teaspoon crushed Szechuan peppercorns (optional)
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
2 cups bean sprouts
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced
4 scallions, slivered
¼ cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts
In a 1-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, bring the water to a boil, and add the washed rice. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover tightly, and cook for 25 minutes, or until the water is all absorbed. Take the pan off the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Let the rice cool to room temperature.
In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the tahini, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oils, sugar, ginger, garlic, salt, and crushed Szechuan pepper (if using). Put the shredded chicken in a small bowl and measure 2 tablespoons of the sesame mixture over it. Toss to mix. Stir the remaining sesame mixture into the chilled rice.
On a platter, spread the rice, then top with the chicken, sprouts, and cucumber slices. Scatter the scallions and peanuts over it all and serve.
WHEAT, LIKE RICE, HAS DIFFERENT VARIETIES with differing starch balances. The first cultivated wheat, called einkorn, is ten thousand years old and still grown today. It crossbred with a wild grass to create emmer (or farro) and durum wheats. A few thousand more years passed before another chance crossbreeding created today’s common bread wheat, as well as spelt and club wheat. If you can’t get farro or spelt berries, whole hard winter wheat berries will work, as will hulled barley or whole oats.
1 cup farro or wheat berries
2½ cups vegetable stock
1 sprig rosemary
½ teaspoon plus a pinch of salt, divided, or to taste
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 ounces fresh basil (1½ cups leaves)
In a small, heavy saucepan, dry-toast the farro over high heat until hot and lightly fragrant. Add the vegetable stock, rosemary, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for about an hour, until tender. Drain any excess stock and cool to room temperature.
Put the garlic, basil, and pine nuts in the work bowl of a food processor and process to chop very finely. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and lemon juice and process until smooth. Gradually add the olive oil to make a smooth paste.
Trim and halve the baby artichokes and put in a large bowl of cold water with half of the lemon. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, drain the artichokes, and boil them until a knife inserted into an artichoke enters easily.
In a serving bowl, toss the cooked grain, dressing, artichokes, bell pepper, and edamame. Crack black pepper over the salad and serve.
¼ cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 baby artichokes or one 13-ounce jar artichoke bottoms, drained
½ large lemon (if using fresh artichokes)
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup shelled edamame, thawed Freshly cracked black pepper
INDONESIAN CUISINE IS A RIOT OF FAVORS, with rice. I like the sweetness of one of the red rices here, but any brown rice will also be delicious. Himalayan red rice takes less water, so use the smaller measure if using it, while the other red rices need more liquid.
1¾ to 2 cups water
1 cup red rice
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 large shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large red chile, seeded and chopped
1-inch piece ginger root, chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
8 ounces green beans, trimmed and chopped
½ cup coconut milk
¼ cup soy sauce
½ teaspoon molasses
4 large eggs, boiled and peeled
1 large lime, quartered
½ cup julienned fresh basil
¼ cup macadamia nuts, toasted and chopped
In a 1-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, bring the water to a boil. Rinse the rice and drain in a fine-mesh strainer. Add the drained rice to the boiling water and keep the heat high until it returns to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 45 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Let the pot stand, covered, for at least 10 minutes, and then let cool to room temperature.
In a wok or large sauté pan, heat the oil over high heat. Add the shallots, garlic, chile, ginger, coriander, carrot, and green beans. Stir-fry until the vegetables are crisp-tender.
Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, and molasses to the wok, and bring to a boil. Push the vegetables over to one side to make room for the eggs. Halve the eggs lengthwise, and place in the pan, cut–sides down. Simmer for 2 minutes. In a large bowl, mix the contents of the pan with the rice. Add the basil and macadamias, then toss and serve.
A BEAUTIFUL PRESENTATION WILL ELEVATE YOUR MEAL TO FINE DINING, and a marinated grain salad is as fine as anything out there. This is just a beginning from which to get creative. Whatever is fresh and in season simply needs an artful approach to look nice in a composed salad. Blanched asparagus, snow peas, avocado, or jicama sticks can liven up the plate.
1 cup barley, red rice, or kamut
½ cup hazelnuts
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoons dried tarragon
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large Roma tomato
1 small yellow squash
4 cups salad spinach, washed and dried
1 large carrot, julienned
1 large red bell pepper, roasted and slivered
1 3.5-ounce package enoki mushrooms, or 1 bunch asparagus, blanched
Cook the grain until tender, then drain and let cool.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the hazelnuts in a small baking pan or pie plate and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. Put the warm nuts in a kitchen towel and rub them to remove the skins. Put the cleaned nuts into a food processor. Pulse on and off to coarsely chop the hazelnuts. Remove half of the coarse chunks and reserve. Grind the remaining nuts finely, then add the parsley, garlic, and salt and grind them, too. Add the vinegar and tarragon and process, then drizzle in the oil with the motor running. Stir ½ cup of the dressing into the cooked grain.
Cut the tomato in half vertically and scrape out the seeds, then slice in vertical spears. Use a channel knife or paring knife to slice shallow, lengthwise grooves in the yellow squash, and then slice thinly.
To compose the salad on a large platter, spread the spinach to the edges of the platter, then mound the cooled grain in the center, leaving some spinach exposed at the edge. Arrange the carrot julienne on the grain in four fanned groupings, evenly spaced around the edges. Arrange the squash between the grouped carrots. Place the bell pepper slivers across the top of the mound of grain, then arrange the mushrooms and tomato spears atop that. To compose on individual plates, place the grains to one side, and group the vegetables around the plate. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad and top with the reserved hazelnuts.
BEAUTIFUL BLACK RICE, OR ANY OF THE RICES, MAKES A GORGEOUS BED for lemon-infused grilled veggies. The greens and veggies supplement the mineral and vitamin content of the grain, as well as providing flavor and brilliant color. For a main course, just grill some chicken or sprinkle on some feta cheese.
1 small red bell pepper
1 small zucchini
4 ounces button mushrooms or portobellos
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
Coarse salt (optional)
1 large clove garlic
½ cup fresh basil leaves
½ teaspoon salt
Preheat the grill, and soak 2 cups of mesquite or apple-wood chips, if desired. To smoke the vegetables in a gas grill, you will need to place the soaked chips in a smoker pan or in a packet made of foil that is open on the top and can be placed in the bottom of your grill. For a charcoal grill, build the fire on one side of the grill, and when it is time to cook, sprinkle the chips over the white ash-covered coals. You can use a grill wok or the grate to cook the vegetables.
Cut the bell pepper and zucchini in long, ½-inch-wide strips, and halve the button mushrooms if large (or cut the portobellos in ½?inch slices). Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the lemon zest and juice. When the grill is hot, drain the wood chips and put them in your grill. Cover the grill and wait for a bit of smoke to start. Put the wok on with the veggies, or place the strips across the grate. If using a gas grill, place the veggies on the side above the chips, and lower the heat. If using a charcoal grill, put them on the side away from the pile of coals. Close the grill and let the vegetables smoke-roast for 5 minutes. Open the grill and stir or turn the vegetables until they are tender and browned.
Take the vegetables off the grill, transfer to a large bowl, and sprinkle with coarse salt to taste, if desired. Let cool. Drop the garlic into a food processor or blender with the motor running. When it is minced, add the basil and purée, scraping down to get a fine mince. Add the ½ teaspoon salt and the balsamic vinegar and purée, then gradually drizzle in the remaining 3 tablespoons oil with the motor running.
Mix half of the dressing into the cooked black rice. Spread the arugula on a large platter, drizzle the remaining dressing over it, and mound the rice in the center. Top with the grilled veggies. Crack pepper over it all and serve.
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ cup black rice, cooked in 1 cup water and cooled
2 ounces baby arugula, washed and dried
Freshly cracked black pepper
THE THOUGHT OF USING NOODLES IN A SUSHI RECIPE sounds like some kind of crazy fusion, but it’s actually quite traditional. Soba is another revered food in Japan, and one thing must have led to another. These rolls are surprisingly wonderful, and the soba seems much lighter and airier in the roll than tightly packed rice.
SAUCE
1/3 cup black sesame seeds (or brown, or tahini in a pinch)
1 tablespoon mirin
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon red miso
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon hot sesame oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
ROLLS
10 ounces salad spinach
8 ounces soba noodles
4 sheets nori
12 large hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
½ large carrot, cut into long, thin strips
Mayonnaise in a squirt bottle
......
Pickled ginger, for serving
Wasabi, for serving
Make the sauce first. In a small sauté pan, toast the sesame seeds over medium-high heat, even if they are already toasted, just to refresh the flavor and bring out the oil. Shake the pan until the seeds are hot and fragrant. Transfer the hot seeds to a coffee grinder or spice mill, and grind them as finely as possible. Gradually add the mirin and soy sauce to the seeds and grind some more, until a smooth paste is obtained. Scrape the mixture out into a small bowl and stir in the miso, sugar, hot and dark sesame oils, rice vinegar, and crushed garlic. Cover tightly and reserve.
Wrap a rolling mat with plastic wrap, and bring a large pot of water to a boil for the spinach. Bring a second large pot of water to a boil for the soba. Drop the spinach in for 1 to 2 minutes, drain, and squeeze out. Roll in a towel to dry thoroughly. Cook the soba according to the package instructions, about 4 minutes. Drain well, rinse with warm water, and drain again. Place the soba on a double thickness of kitchen towels.
For each roll, place a sheet of nori on the rolling mat, shiny-side down. Grab about one-fourth of the noodles and drape them across the nori, leaving ½ inch of nori exposed at the top, then arrange the noodles with your fingers as evenly as possible. Sprinkle some hazelnuts in the spaces between noodles. Divide the spinach into 4 portions. Make a row of spinach on the soba, then lay a couple of carrot strips alongside the spinach. Squirt a line of mayonnaise next to the carrot. Roll up from the bottom, using your mat to keep the roll tight. Dampen the exposed nori at the top and use it to seal the roll. Let stand, seam-side down, for a minute before slicing each roll into 6 pieces.
Serve with the black sesame sauce, ginger, and wasabi.
