I’ve mentioned before about the little supper club that I’ve formed with some friends. This is an idea that combines some of my favourite things – good food, spending time with my friends (and indulging in interesting discussions), and cooking. As Gallifrey starts producing more edibles, I expect that out contributions to these dinners will include more of our own produce.
We had our second dinner party last weekend, and K and I volunteered to make an entrée. I happened to have some black glutinous rice in the cupboard, and a couple’ve mangos in the fridge, and I was feeling creative – so I invented a recipe. It received many approving and appreciative comments, so I thought I’d share it more widely.
As a side note, the choice of purslane was a happy coincidence. We have a lot of it growing feral in the back yard and amongst the pot plants, and had no salad greens in the fridge, so I experimented. If you haven’t tried purslane, you really should – it’s mild flavoured and tasty, as well as being very healthy, high in omega-3 oils and vitamins. You can eat it fresh as a salad green or cooked, and it literally grows as a weed in Perth. Only eat purslane that you’ve plucked from your own garden or somewhere you know it hasn’t been sprayed – roadside and public park growing purslane is often laced with herbicides intended to control it and other weeds.
(I’ll add a picture here next time I make it)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup glutinous (short grain) black rice
- 1/2 cup diced fresh mango
- 1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes (golden cherry tomatoes by preference)
- 1/2 cup fresh purslane, roughly chopped or torn apart
- approx. 1/2 cup cashew nuts *
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 2 Tbs raspberry vinegar
- approx. 1 tsp salt
- pinch chilli powder
* For a nut free version, replace the cashew nuts with sunflower seeds or pepitas.
Method:
- Cook the rice as normal. Note that it will take slightly more water than regular white rice to cook using the absorption method.
- While the rice is still hot, stir in the vinegar, oil, salt, and chilli powder. Cover and allow the rice mixture to cool.
- Taste, and adjust the seasoning of the rice mixture with additional vinegar, salt, or chilli powder if desired.
- Stir the mango, purslane, and cherry tomatoes into the rice.
- Chill.
- Top with cashew nuts, and serve with smoked trout or smoked salmon.
This salad can be made up to a day in advance – add the nuts just before serving, so that they don’t go soggy. For some extra presentation points, add a little fresh mango on top as well, for the colour.