It was my day off so that meant it was my turn to cook dinner. Now I was not just going to make something plain and simple. This was my one opportunity each week to try and make something wild and different, while at the same time attempting to satisfy everyone in the house, which is never an easy task.
So I found myself wandering through Fairway Market trying to come up with something. Earlier in the day my sister had said she wanted some sort of seafood. So through a series of text I learned that scallops and clams would make everyone happy. Now what else to make?
I had bought black rice while at Eataly and had wanted to try it. I assumed it would not be much different than regular white rice, possibly a little more fibrous, like brown rice. Also I have been in love with shiitake mushrooms for months now so figured I would make a faux risotto with the rice and shiitakes.
I needed a green though. I’m tired for steamed or sauteed veggies though. Something I do love, but never have at home, is Asian cabbages. So I bought some small bok choy to make a raw salad with. I tossed it with some julienne kohlrabi, oranges, and a mirin and sesame vinaigrette. I found it delicious, no one else did.
Everyone did like the scallops and clams, which I cooked with lemongrass, ginger, and scallions. But the rice, was not a hit. I thought it had a lot of flavor, and though the texture was fibrous I didn’t find it over powering. The color was a shot though. It was dark red and turned the shiitakes dark red as well, making them impossible to find. My mom said it should have been mixed in with other rice. I totally disagreed because by doing so you ruin the texture that the rice has. Alone you get something new, something different, rice unlike rice. My argument was why does rice have to be the way we have always known it? Why can’t it be entirely different, in color, flavor, and texture?
So though everyone else hated my dinner, retiring to cereal after a few bites, I thought it was a success because I loved it, pushed the comfort zone in my house, and tried out a new ingredient.
Next I want to try and make my own rice noodles with the rice and turn the rice into flour and bread something with it.
