I’m cat-sitting for a friend for a couple of weeks and, in addition to having all the kitty affection I could ask for, I was happy to see that they have a copy of the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. Ever since my friend Molly made chef Mollie’s Indonesian Rice Salad for me a few months ago, I’ve been obsessed. (And, I’m putting the cookbook on my wish list for Christmas, if everything tastes as good as this salad.) I’ve doctored the recipe up a bit to accomodate my tastes and what I have on hand, but I think it still captures the originally intended flavors. Here’s my version:
“Sri Wasano’s Infamous Indonesian Rice Salad” – edited by the HungryCook
~ 2 cups cooked brown rice (despite my normal cooking prowess I’m somehow terrible at making rice, so I usually cheat and just buy the prepared packaged brown rice at Trader Joe’s, it’s actually about 1.5 cups)
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts (unsalted)
1/3 cup raisins
Dressing:
1/4 cup canola or peanut oil
1.5 tablespoons sesame oil
juice of one orange
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon honey (this is approximate, depending on the sweetness of the orange)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Mix dry ingredients together. In a separate dish, mix together the dressing (this is to make sure it has the right balance of saltiness/sweetness/tang/etc. before you mix it all together). Stir dressing into rice mixture and let marinate for at least a half hour before eating, so that the rice has time to absorb the flavors of the dressing. Yields 4-6 servings.
To me, this salad is the perfect blend of flavors and textures – a great warm weather side dish. Enjoy!
