Black Rice Salad with Mangos and Peanuts

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 cup rice, black (not wild!)
• 1 orange(s)
• 1 lemon(s)
• 1 mango(s), ripe
• 1 small onion(s), red
• 3 spring onions
• 1 bunch coriander, fresh
• ½ cup roasted, unsalted or lightly salted peanuts
• 1 tsp soy sauce or fish sauce from the Asian store
• 1 tbsp oil (safflower oil, olive oil or similar)
• some chili or freshly chopped jalapenos, optional

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 25 minutes

perfect for summer, our highlight of the barbecue season!

Cook the black rice in lightly salted water according to the package instructions. This usually takes 35-40 minutes. Drain the rice in a colander and let it cool slightly. In the meantime, peel the orange, removing all the white parts. Carefully cut out the segments over a bowl, reserving the juice. Squeeze out the remaining juice. Set the segments aside. Mix the reserved orange juice, soy sauce, salad oil, and freshly squeezed lemon juice together in the bowl. Then finely dice the red onion and spring onions or slice them into thin rings and add them to the bowl with the dressing. Mix in the cooled rice and season with more lemon juice and soy sauce. If desired, add some chili or freshly diced jalapeno peppers. Peel the mango, cut into small cubes, and chop the sprig of cilantro. Then toss everything into the salad along with the orange segments and peanuts. Season the salad with lemon (or a little sugar if the mango isn’t quite ripe) and soy sauce to taste. Serve with chicken skewers with onions, dried apricots (and fresh garlic, if you like). Alternatively, you can fry 1 diced chicken breast, 1/2 coarsely chopped white onion, 1 quartered garlic clove, and 4-6 dried apricots in a pan with a little oil per serving. Just before serving, season with a little soy sauce and some chicken chili sauce. As an alternative to black rice, I can imagine a long-grain wild rice blend working in a pinch. However, that might lose the crunchy, nutty flavor. It’s definitely worth looking for black rice (I use the one from Piedmont, but you can probably find some in Asian stores, too). I’ve entered the basic recipe for two very hungry people.