Perfect Brown Rice + A Brown Rice Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I avoided making brown rice for years. I just could never get it right. It was either crunchy or gummy and it took way too much time to cook. As our kitchens became more green and interest in health and nutrition grew I was embarrassed to admit I couldn't cook it properly, but truth was I couldn't. Several years ago my problem was solved by an article that appeared in Saveur magazine and these days I have no problem cooking brown rice to perfection. Many of you already use the technique I'm featuring tonight, but I wanted to post it for those who have not yet tried this method. I'm also including a recipe for a brown rice salad so you can use the rice you make using the new technique. Here is how the rice and the salad are made.


Perfect Brown Rice...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Saveur magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup short, medium, or long-grain brown rice
Kosher salt, to taste
12 cups water

Directions:
Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds. Over high heat, bring 12 cups water to a boil in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add rice, stir once, and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain rice through a sieve. Return to pot, cover, and let sit for another 10 minutes to steam. Uncover the rice, fluff with a fork, and season with salt. Yield: 3-1/2 cups.

Brown Rice Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Saveur magazine

Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
Kosher salt, to taste
3-1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
3-1/2 tablespoons mirin
3-1/2 tablespoons sake
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup torn cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1/4 cup pickled ginger, thinly sliced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1⁄4” pieces
Zest and juice of 1 lime

Directions:
1) Combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a 2-qt saucepan over medium-high; cook until sugar has dissolved, 3-5 minutes. Cool teriyaki sauce slightly.
2) Combine rice, teriyaki sauce, the cilantro, peanuts, ginger, scallions, avocados, cucumber, and zest and juice in a bowl; transfer to a serving platter and garnish with cilantro. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

                    

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