Here’s another versatile, healthy and delicious salad, which I happened to serve, accompanied by barbequed, sake-marinated spatchcock, to a friend recently.
My friend declared the salad so good that she’d be happy to have it as a stand- alone dinner. She did, however, then proceed to eat up her serving of spatchcock too.
It was a lovely compliment, and she’s right, this salad does taste so good, full of umami flavours, and with all the nutritional spinach, seaweed and rice, that it could be a meal on its own.
Give it a try, with or without something on the side, we think you’ll be happy to have a bowl too.
Caren
SEAWEED, CUCUMBER AND BROWN RICE SALAD
Serves 6
50 gm brown rice
50 gm wild rice
10 gm dried wakame seaweed strips, sometimes called sea vegetable, available from Japanese grocers
1 telegraph cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup baby English spinach leaves, washed and dried
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 green onions, finely sliced
Dressing
75 ml gluten-free soy sauce
1 tablespoon black rice vinegar, available from Japanese grocers
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon finely minced garlic
Combine the brown rice and wild rice, rinse and drain. Soak the rice in cold water for half an hour. Drain.
Boil the rice in plenty of water for approximately 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the water level and top up if required. Test the rice. It is ready when the grain is al dente. Drain and set aside to come to room temperature.
Soak the wakame/sea vegetable in 2 cups of cold water and set aside for 5 minutes then drain well.
Place all the dressing ingredients in a glass jar and shake vigorously.
Gently toss the rice, wakame, cucumber, spinach and dressing together. Tip onto a serving platter and scatter over the sesame seeds and green onions.
The salad goes well with cold, smoked river trout and grilled or barbequed meats.