FAST & FRESH: RICE IS NICE IN A SALAD

At one time I only served salads in the summer and stews in the winter. But now, because there are so many terrific salad ingredients available regardless of the season, I serve salads all year long. As a result, I have taken one of my favorite summer salad recipes and adapted it to the different seasons.

The salad is based on cooked rice and dressed with a tangy Asian-tasting vinaigrette made with rice wine vinegar, dark sesame oil and grated ginger. Now that it is spring, I toss the rice with slices of crisp-cooked asparagus. Come summer, I`ll use fresh corn kernels and diced tomatoes. In the fall, it will be chopped apple or pear and raisins. And in the winter, I`ll add steamed broccoli florets and shredded carrots.

In the following spring version I take a chance on adding some diced papaya to the mix. Beautiful papayas, flown in from Hawaii, are now plentiful and relatively inexpensive. The pale orange flesh is firm, and the flavor is mildly sweet. Mostly, I eat the halved and seeded papaya right out of the skin with a spoon. Sometimes I slice it into thin wedges and add it to a mixed green salad.

Adding papaya to the rice salad was an experiment that worked. The mild sweetness of the fruit was a good contrast to the grassy taste of the asparagus. It looked pretty, too.

Sometimes, to make the salad into a main dish, I add chicken tenders that have been tossed in soy sauce and quickly seared in a nonstick skillet. I then sprinkle the salad generously with dry-roasted peanuts, and dinner is ready.

For dessert, serve frozen vanilla yogurt topped with cut-up strawberries that have been tossed with sugar and some grated orange zest.

MENU

Rice and Peanut Salad With Asparagus and Soy-Seared Chicken Tenders

Frozen Vanilla Yogurt Topped With Orange-Sugared Strawberries

PREPARATION: Cook rice while preparing other salad ingredients. Cook chicken. Cut up strawberries and add sugar. Assemble the salad and serve.

SHOPPING

12 ounces chicken tenders

1 bunch cilantro

1 firm, ripe (green background streaked with yellow) papaya

1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound)

1 bunch green onions

1 red bell pepper

2 limes

1 orange

Fresh ginger

1 pint strawberries

1 pint frozen vanilla yogurt

PANTRY

2 cups raw long or short grain brown or white rice or 4 cups cooked

1 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

Rice wine vinegar

Dark sesame oil

Garlic

Soy sauce

Oil

Sugar

RICE AND PEANUT SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS AND SOY-SEARED CHICKEN TENDERS

I use medium-grain brown rice in this salad simply because I love the nutty taste and chewy consistency, especially with the peanuts. But any rice, even white, can be used. To save time, cook the brown rice a day or two ahead and refrigerate until ready to use.

Salad:

2 cups raw rice or 4 cups leftover cooked long or short grain brown rice

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch diagonals

1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 firm, ripe papaya, halved, seeded, cut into wedges, peeled and then cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 cup dry-roasted peanuts, preferably unsalted

Dressing:

1/4 cup oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice or more to taste

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

Soy-Seared Chicken Tenders (recipe follows)

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

To prepare Salad, if using raw rice, cook in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender. (Brown rice takes 45 minutes, while white rice take 15 minutes.) Drain.

If using refrigerated leftover rice, warm up to room temperature or reheat before using in microwave, covered lightly with plastic wrap, 2 minutes on High (100 percent power.

To cook asparagus, place on steamer set over 1/2 inch boiling water. Cover and cook until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Rinse with cool water and drain.

In large bowl, combine room-temperature rice, half the asparagus, the bell pepper, papaya, green onions and half of the peanuts.

To prepare Dressing, in separate bowl, whisk oil, lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and salt.

Pour dressing over rice mixture and toss to blend. Taste and correct seasoning. Spoon into large shallow serving bowl or deep platter. Garnish with remaining asparagus and sprinkle with remaining peanuts. Add seared chicken tenders and garnish with cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Cooking time: 45 minutes (optional time for rice); 4 minutes for asparagus

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Soy-Seared Chicken Tenders:

12 ounces chicken tenders

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Oil

Combine chicken and soy sauce in bowl and toss to coat. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat lightly with thin film of oil. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and saute until cooked through and browned on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Makes 4 servings.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 2 to 3 minutes

FROZEN VANILLA YOGURT TOPPED WITH ORANGE-SUGARED STRAWBERRIES

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 pint strawberries, rinsed, hulled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

1 pint frozen vanilla yogurt

In medium bowl, combine sugar and orange zest. Add cut-up strawberries and sprinkle with orange juice. Toss to combine.

Scoop frozen yogurt into dessert bowls. Spoon strawberries and juices on top, dividing evenly. Makes 4 servings.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

(Marie Simmons is the author of the newly published ``The Good Egg,`` Houghton Mifflin.)

(c) 2001, Marie Simmons. Distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, a division of Tribune Media Services.

Article continues below

---

advertisement

---

Author: Marie Simmons