Came across this recipe on a handwritten card shoved in my recipe box; have no idea of the origin (it’s in my writing, but must be 20+ years old) but have been playing with it since the rediscovery.
The Original Recipe
3 C Chicken broth
1 1/2 C uncooked brown rice
3/4 tsp salt (eliminate if canned broth)
1 tbls Asian sesame oil
2 tbls fresh lime juice
1 tbls rice wine vinegar*
2 tbls soy sauce
2 tbls rice wine vinegar* (yes, it appears twice in the ingredients list and I have no idea why)
3 tbls fruit chutney
2 tbls hot curry powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 C julienned carrot
1 tbls minced parsley
4 scallions, green part only, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbls roasted pine nuts
Bring broth to a boil; add salt (if using) and uncooked rice. Cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 45 minutes/until done.
Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil.
In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients; stir in the still-warm rice. Taste/adjust seasonings. Serve lukewarm or refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Without a bunch of add-ins this is a rather dull side dish. Major palate fatigue after a couple of bites.
Definitely tastes better if refrigerated so flavors can develop.
My Variations
I usually add several cloves of minced garlic, don’t always include the carrot, use the white and green part of the scallions, substitute toasted/darker sesame oil for part of the dressing, vary the type of chutney, and end up making about 1.5 times the dressing (I eyeball that at this point). Also, I use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth and always incorporate some of the following:
Mix-ins (not all at the same time!)
Beyond Meat Chicken Strips (sauteed, allowed to cool a bit, then diced/shredded)
Grapes (red, green, mixture), halved or quartered
Dried apricots (chopped)
Peaches (pitted and chopped - if very ripe the juice can make salad a bit soggy but flavor is good)
Diced apple (I like the tart ones)
Cherries (pitted and halved)
Plums (pitted and chopped)
Celery (chopped)
Variety of nuts (toasted and chopped - pecans are good, in addition to the pine nuts) - hold some back to sprinkle over when serving
I’m thinking this would work with other grains - I just don’t cook with them regularly enough to feel confident recommending a specific approach.
It’s a solid base recipe to play with.