Rice & Veggie Bowls with Thai Coconut Lime Dressing

Here's something I don't take pictures of: cooked food.

I take many, many photos of our raw produce (haha, funny joke, everyone knows I only take baby and flowers photos now), but I don't ever photograph prepared meals. I feel that without professional lighting and staging it is basically impossible to make cooked food look appetizing in photographs, and ain't nobody got time for that in high summer. But, if I were ever going to photograph cooked food, it might have been this rice bowl. I guess you'll have to trust me that it was gorgeous and instead enjoy this photo of our carrots, which were featured prominently in said bowl.

This recipe meets one of my main criteria for summer eating in that in can be described by the following three steps. Step one: make some kind of spicy sauce and some kind of rice. Step two: cut up whatever veggies were harvested that day. Step three: mix together in an obscenely large bowl and eat. 

Adapted from this recipe on Food 52 for two people, but you should probably double it - it makes great leftovers! 

For the Thai coconut-lime dressing:
Juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 cup)
2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Zest of 1 lime (about 1 to 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons fresh lemongrass, finely chopped
1/2 serrano pepper, seeded and minced (I used a japapeno!)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint

For the salad bowl and toppings:
1 1/2 cups cooked black or red rice
10 ounces poached chicken breast, shredded, if you want. Or tofu. Or nothing.
2 cucumbers
4 large radishes, thinly sliced
1 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
4 hakurei turnips, thinly sliced
1 cup onion scapes or scallions, cut thinly on the bias
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint

Cilantro

Care & Storage

For Eating Fresh: For short-term storage (1-2 days) snip the ends of the stalks and place them in cup of clean water. Refresh the water as needed. You can also store cilantro in a perforated plastic bag in your fridge for three or four days. 

To Dry: Bundle the stalks with a rubber band and hang upside down in a warm, dry, dark place. Store dried herbs in an airtight container in a dark place.

To Freeze: Wash, drain, and chop the cilantro. (Tip: Ice trays make good herb freezing containers. They provide ready-made single meal servings.)

Availability

June - October

---

Recipes

Zhoug Chili Paste

1 bunch cilantro
1/2 bunch parsley
2 hot green chilies, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water 

Blend all ingredients in food processor until it forms a course paste. Should be HOT! Use on eggs, sandwiches, anything. It's shockingly good.

Cilantro Pesto
Adapted from Real Thai by Nancie McDermott
Use as a sauce for shrimp, fish, or chicken, or toss it as you would basil pesto with pasta or new potatoes.

1 tsp whole or freshly ground peppercorns
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, stems and roots
2 tbsp coarsely chopped garlic

If using whole peppercorns, crush to a fine powder using a mortal and pestle or a spice grinder. Combine the pepper, cilantro and garlic and work into a fairly smooth paste in the mortar or in a small blender or food processor. If you use a blender or food processor, you may need to add a little oil or water to ease the grinding.