Bright Brown Rice

A recipe in Bon Appetite for sesame-cilantro rice caught my eye a while ago. Sesame seeds! Cilantro! Fresh Ginger! Scallions! Sign me up. But when I looked a little closer I was less thrilled - 2 tablespoons of different oils to fry the green onions? No thanks.

I nixed the oil, substituted brown rice for the white, and was completely satisfied with the result. The recipe has you cook the rice with a piece of peeled fresh ginger, which is a great trick. It perfumes the rice ever so slightly, giving it a fresh complexity. The combination of brown rice and toasted sesame seeds emphasized the inherent nuttiness of each. Brown rice can be a little hot and heavy for summer meals, and the addition of bright fresh herbs gave it the lightness it needed.

I really like brown rice. I like the way it tastes, I like it's nutritiousness, but I especially like the fact that I now have an easy, healthy, and light way to make brown rice exciting. I can imagine this being paired with some steak, grilled chicken, or even packed up as part of a picnic basket.

Sesame-Cilantro Brown Rice

Inspired by Bon Appetite

Serves 2

1/2 cup brown rice

1 peeled 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger

1-2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add the brown rice, ginger, and a pinch of salt. Cover the pot, bring back to a boil and then turn the heat down low and simmer for 45 minutes.

When the rice is done check to make sure there is no water left at the bottom of the pan by tilting it. Let the rice sit off the heat for a few minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Add the toasted sesame seeds, cilantro and green onions. Stir to combine. Eat.