Torn mint leaves and blossoms add a cool, refreshing bite to this summer salad of Bhutanese red rice with colorful cherry tomatoes, toasted walnut halves and sweet raisins.
Our local tomato fest—touted as the high point of the tomato season—has come and gone.
But someone forgot to tell the tomatoes.
Heavy paper sacks of luscious Pink Girls and Big Beefs roll in every Wednesday, along with enough Sun Gold cherry tomatoes to fill a wide bowl to the brim. And since I can’t help myself when I cruise through our Farmers Markets on Saturdays, every flat surface in the kitchen is covered with Green Zebras, Brandywines, Black Russians and Lemon Boys, and a rainbow of little Juliets, Yellow Pears, Red Currants and Sweet 100s.
So there’ve been weeks and weeks of eating tomatoes---raw and cooked, roasted and sautéed, in every conceivable version of cold gazpacho and, just last night, in warm roasted tomato, red Bell pepper and sweet corn soup, in rainbow-hued tomato plates and heirloom tomato tarts with pesto and chevre, cooked with summer squash and cilantro, in ratatouille, and just standing at the sink with a bowl of flaky sea salt and a few paper towels for the drips.
But here’s my current favorite: A room temperature salad of Bhutanese red rice with a medley of brightly colored cherry tomatoes, toasted walnuts, golden raisins and fresh mint from the garden.
I adore the red rice that’s grown in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. (How can you not love anything that comes from a country that annually measures the Gross National Happiness of its people?) According to Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid in Seductions of Rice, it is “a medium grain japonica type rice that has been semi-milled. The red of the outer layers is still on the rice in patches, but because it is somewhat polished, it cooks more quickly than brown rice.”
When cooked, the russet-colored grains swell, becoming plump and deliciously chewy. Nutty and tasting slightly of the earth, Bhutanese red rice is the perfect “carrier” for all sorts of flavors. Alford and Duguid recommend serving it with “hearty side dishes such as bean or meat stews” or using it to make a festive Uighur Autumn Pulao of rice with lamb, quinces and red bell peppers.
It’s a staple in Bhutan, and in my pantry too.
I love it in the summer with juicy sun ripened tomatoes, dressed with a little lemon zest, olive oil and herbs from the garden. A few days ago, I varied my usual routine by adding a handful of toasted walnuts, some plump golden raisins, and mint leaves along with a few lilac-hued blossoms. Served at room temperature, the salad was rich with nuts and oil, sweet with raisins, tangy with cherry tomatoes and Meyer lemon zest—and the mint added a cool, refreshing bite.
One of those mini-culinary-epiphanies that brings joy to the cook.
Salad of Bhutanese Red Rice with Colorful Cherry Tomatoes, Toasted Walnuts, Golden Raisins and Garden Mint
The method for cooking the rice is adapted from Jeffry Alford and Naomi Duiguid in The Seductions of Rice.
To serve 2 or 3 people:
Ingredients for the rice:
1 cup Bhutanese red rice (makes 2-1/2 cups cooked rice)
1-1/2 cups water
Method for the rice:
1. Put the rice in a bowl and rinse in cold water by swishing it gently with your fingers. Drain and rinse again, two or three times, until the water is clear. Drain well.
2. Combine the rice and the water in a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cook for 25 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
3. Remove the rice from the burner and let it steam, covered, for 10 minutes.
4. Put the rice in a bowl and gently turn it with a rice paddle or a large spoon. Let cool to room temperature.
Ingredients for the salad:
2-1/2 cups cooked Bhutanese red rice at room temperature
3 or 4 tablespoons mild extra virgin olive oil
1 pint mixed cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2/3 cup walnut halves, toasted (see note)
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, stripped from their stems and roughly torn
1 teaspoon grated Meyer lemon zest
Flakey sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Method for the salad:
1. In a large bowl, combine the rice and olive oil to taste. Stir well to coat the grains.
2. Add the halved cherry tomatoes, toasted walnuts and raisins to the rice, and stir to combine. Sprinkle in the torn mint leaves and the grated lemon zest. Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir the rice a few more times to distribute all the ingredients.
3. Let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then serve.
Note: To toast the nuts, set the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the walnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast for about 15 minutes, turning them with a spatula every 4 to 5 minutes to keep them from burning. Remove from the oven, pour onto a large plate and let cool before using. The nuts should have a rich, toasty flavor all the way through.