Another great picnic dish - Indonesian Rice Salad

Since searches for "great picnic dish" and "cold rice salad" have been bringing loads of new visitors to my blog lately (Hi everyone - thanks for coming, why don't you kick off your shoes, make yourselves at home, and have a look around. Drinks and nibbles are on the side table.) I figured I'd share another favorite of mine. This is another surefire crowd-pleaser.

I've made this one, from Molly Katzen's classic Moosewood Cookbook, so many times that not only is the page all stained (always a sign of a favorite recipe) but the book actually falls open to that page. That's saying a lot considering how many other things in this book I make.


Sri Wasano's Infamous Indonesian Rice Salad
From the Moosewood Cookbook
(Italics are mine)

About 1 hour to prepare, plus time to chill
Yield: 4-6 servings (or more if you have a lot of other dishes)

1) Place rice in a saucepan. Add the water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until tender (35-45 minutes).

2 cups brown rice
3 cups water

2) While the rice cooks, combine in a large (and I do mean LARGE) bowl:

1/3 cup peanut oil
3 Tbls Chinese sesame oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1-2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
2 Tbls soy sauce
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (to taste)
2 Tbls rice or cider vinegar
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple (also ok to use canned-in-juice crushed pineapple)

3) Add the hot rice directly to the bowl of dressing. Mix well. When it has cooled to room temperature, cover tightly and refrigerate until cold. Shortly before serving (I go ahead and do it as soon as it's cold) stir in:

3 scallions, finely minced (whites and greens)
1 stalk celery, finely minced
1 medium red or green pepper, thinly sliced (I prefer red, or even orange)
1 8-oz can water chestnuts, drained and thinly sliced (I often leave these out)
1/2 lb fresh mung bean sprouts
1/2 cup (packed) raisins or currants
1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts and/or cashews, lightly toasted (I normally love cashews, but I like peanuts better for this recipe)
2 Tbl sesame seeds (again, these get left out if I don't have any)

Optional: fresh snow peas, for garnish

Enjoy!

Click here to see more of my recipes.