Yesterday was one of those days. One of those days where the weather is stunning, life is good, and I was still a crankster. Perhaps, I was just bummed my weekend in Toronto was over or maybe it was the creepy client who parked himself in my office for most of the afternoon. I don’t know why I didn’t just remove myself from the situation; instead, I froze and tried not to upset him – which, in turn, upset me.
Whatever the reason, I was eager to get in the kitchen and try to cook the bad mood off. I had a bag of Chinese black rice from the St. Lawrence market and a recipe from the NY Times. Black rice (aka forbidden rice) used to be consumed only by emperors and royalty, as it was rare and very nutritious. It is a great antioxidant, high in iron and fiber, and is visually pretty stunning. Plus, it heals bad moods (that last part has not yet been scientifically proven, it may have been the delicious Asian dressing drizzled over it).
Black Rice and Soy Salad With Asian Dressing (Via NY Times)
3 cups cooked black rice (1 cup uncooked, prepared as package describes)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup walnut pieces
1 cup edamame
1/2 pound tofu
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced chives
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 to 2/3 cup (to taste) sesame ginger vinaigrette (see below)
1. In a large bowl, combine the rice, diced bell pepper, walnut pieces and edamame.
2. Slice the tofu about 1/2 inch thick, and blot with paper towels. Cut into 1/2-inch dice, and toss with the soy sauce. Add to the rice along with the chives and cilantro.
3. Just before serving, toss with the vinaigrette.
Yield: Serves six.
Advance preparation: The rice will keep in the refrigerator for three or four days, and it freezes well. The salad can be assembled several hours before serving, but don’t toss the tofu with the soy sauce until you’re ready to serve it. If you want the rice to be extra flavorful, toss it with the dressing and marinate for a few hours. You can even freeze it in the dressing. ** I also double the vinaigrette and used it as a marinade for another protein (just brushed it on while grilling).
Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
1 garlic clove, finely minced or puréed
1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar or agave nectar
5 tablespoons canola oil or light sesame oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1. Place all of the ingredients in a minichop or blender (because the amounts are small, I prefer a minichop) and blend until homogenized.
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I make black rice pilaf all of the time. Thanks for another way to enjoy it!
We all ate this and LOVED this last night. Just enjoying the leftovers now.
Thanks for the tip to double the dressing. So happy to have it.
For over three hours I have been trying to cook this horrible black rice. I used 2 cups of black rice and 4 cups of water in my rice cooker, when it finally finished it was like chewing on gravel!! So I added more water and put the rice cooker back on… a total of 5 times now and still this rubbish is not cooked! Had I cooked white or brown rice I could have eaten hours ago, but with this silly rubbish black rice I will be up all night long waiting for it to cook right. This is just absurd, don’t waste your time with black rice, certainly not if you are hungry and don’t want to throw away hours of your life waiting for this silly gimmick of a rice to properly cook. I wouldn’t recommend black rice to anyone.
Rice that takes longer to cook than an entire turkey??
Very disappointing, never again!
Oh Veronica, I’m so sorry you had such frustrating cooking night! That’s the worst!! I’m not sure the type of rice you used or prep method you tried. It definitely takes almost twice as long to cook as white rice, as it is an unhusked rice. I just read online that black rice does not cook well in a rice cooker, but I don’t use one so I’m not sure why.
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