Asian Broccoli and Rice
April 2, 2020 • Side Dishes
Sometimes you just want white rice – like when I served Jambalaya on Fat Tuesday this year. Or when you want to layer it with Momofuku’s Bo Saam. But most of the time, rice as a simple side dish is boring and bland, so I always seek to make it a little more exciting. Like stirring Spicy Cilantro Sauce into the rice. Or adding parmesan and pistachios to white rice. When I recently made some soy and honey glazed chicken legs for dinner (recipe coming soon), I adapted this rice dish from a NY Times recipe. With the addition of the broccoli, this is a perfect complement, but could also stand on its own as a vegetarian entree.
- 1½ cups basmati rice
- 2¾ cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground dry ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon agave
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 6 tablespoons grape seed oil
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped toasted cashews
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 2-3 cups broccoli florets (1 small head), steamed to desired level of softness
- Black sesame seeds, for garnish, optional
- Combine the rice, water, salt and shallot in a medium saucepan, cover, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice stand until the water is fully absorbed, then fluff with a fork.
- While the rice is cooking, make the dressing. Combine the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, cumin, cayenne, agave, lime zest, lime juice and grape see oil in a small covered container. Shake well until fully emulsified.
- Stir the cilantro, cashews, scallions, and broccoli into the rice, then stir in the dressing. If desired, garnish with black sesame seeds.