Black Rice, Mango, and Sugar Snap Pea Salad

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to celebrate a truly wonderful occasion: the graduation of my friend Jessica. Aside from her PhD, Jessica also holds the honor of being the first human being to appear on my blog, and she has always been a willing guinea pig for new recipes. When she asked me to prepare a dish to share at her celebration, I felt honored. Jessica is a phenomenal cook, and I knew expectations would be high for the food at one of her events, so I had to deliver.

I decided on this versatile and satisfying dish I had sampled at Marie Simmons’s recent book signing. It’s flavorful enough to stand out, but still collaborate with any other dish. It also makes a great vegetarian main course as well as a bright, fresh starter for omnivores. Like all of Simmons’s other recipes, it is perfectly balanced, easy to make, and won me raves from Jessica and her guests. I can’t count how many people requested the recipe for this dish, so here it is; apologies for the delays!

Black Rice, Mango and Sugar Snap Pea Salad
adapted from Marie Simmons’s Fresh and Fast Vegetarian

8 ounces stringless sugar snap peas, sliced diagonally in 1/2” pieces
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced in 1/2” pieces
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped finely
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Forbidden Rice
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt

Fill a medium saucepan 3/4 full with water. Bring to a boil, add the 1 teaspoon salt and sugar snap peas and cook for 1 minute. Remove the snap peas, rinse with cold water, and set aside. Add the rice to the boiling water and cook for 25 minutes, or until tender. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk until combined.

In a large container, combine the rice, mangos, snap peas, 1/4 cup of cilantro, and onion. Drizzle with 2/3 of the dressing, adding more if desired. Top with the sesame seeds and remaining cilantro, and refrigerate until ready to serve.