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Parve
Easy
4 Servings
Allergens 
No Allergens specified
40 Minutes
Diets
This simple salad is inspired by nasi ulam, a Malaysian rice salad made with plenty of herbs. Think of it as something to make when you have a large bunch of herbs in the refrigerator or a prolific herb garden. When choosing herbs to use, stick with the more tender-leaved ones, but don’t be afraid to play around with the variety.
We kept the ingredient list pared back here, but you can experiment with adding other ingredients, like fried shallots or slices of fresh chile.
1 small shallot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
zest of 1 lime plus 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more as needed
salt
freshly ground Gefen Black Pepper
3 tablespoons finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1 lemongrass stalk
1 cup (200 grams) white jasmine rice, rinsed well, cooked and kept warm
1 packed cup (25 grams) herbs, such as cilantro, Thai basil, rau ram, shiso, and/or mint, finely chopped
In a large bowl. combine the shallot with the lime zest and lime juice, season with salt and pepper, and let stand for at least five minutes.
In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the coconut until starting to brown, one to two minutes. Turn off the heat and stir, allowing the coconut to brown a bit more.
Chop off the top four inches (10 centimeters) and the bottom of the lemongrass. Remove the tough outer pieces and save them to make tea or stock, if desired. Finely chop the tender inner core.
Add the rice and lemongrass to the bowl, season with salt and a little more lime juice, and toss. The rice should taste seasoned but not aggressively salty or acidic. Let cool slightly or fully to room temperature.
When you’re ready to serve, finely chop the herbs, add them to the salad, and toss again, then season with more salt and lime juice, if desired. Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with the coconut, and serve.
Reprinted from Rice is Life: Recipes and Stories Celebrating the World’s Most Essential Grain by Caryl Levine and Ken Lee with Kristin Donnelly, with permission from Chronicle Books, 2022. Photographs ©️ Erin Scott. Purchase on Amazon
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