Indonesian (?) Rice Salad

Inspired by Molly Katzen’s first Moosewood Cookbook

Rice salad — great for lunch. Photo Jessica Rath

For those of you  not familiar with this iconic restaurant and the cookbook that was first published in 1974 by Berkeley/California’s Ten Speed Press, here is a short introduction: founded in 1973, it’s the country’s longest-running vegetarian restaurant, located in Ithaka, New York. It started as a collectively owned and operated business, originally with seven members, and was dedicated to healthful and locally grown (mostly) vegetarian food (originally, they offered fish on their menu, but dropped this after a few years).

Remember, this was at a time when for many people vegetarian cooking was identical to boiled vegetables or bird seed, the time before YouTube videos that taught how to prepare delicious plant-based meals. Meatless “cuisine” was an oxymoron. People were eager to be inspired by Moosewood’s recipes. That’s why the popularity of the restaurant was connected to the many cookbooks they published over the years – they were what put the restaurant on the map. Over the years, they published some 13 (? maybe more) highly popular cookbooks featuring the many delicious dishes one could order at the restaurant – including ethnic foods with dishes from all over the world (Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant is still a beloved tradition one can follow with the cookbook).

My worn-out copy. Photo Jessica Rath

But the quintessential vegetarian cookbook of the Seventies,  the to-live-by bible of many meatless cooks, is Molly Katzen’s hand-lettered, illustrated Moosewood Cookbook – winner of the 2007 Cookbook Hall of Fame Book Awards which has sold millions of copies since it was first published in 1974, and which the New York Times lists as one of the best selling cookbooks of all time. I’m proud of my dog-eared, food-stained, ratty copy, pictured above. I didn’t use it much when I became vegan in 2002 because it relies heavily on cheeses, and at that time the plant-based alternatives tasted like shoe-leather. This has changed considerably in the last few years and I bet one can successfully recreate every dish from the cookbook.

There’s a fun interview with some of the Moosewood founders here, if you’re interested in learning more about the restaurant’s history. 

It’s been over three months since I shared my last recipe. It was so hot here in New Mexico that I simply didn’t feel like cooking or spending time in the kitchen. But my daughter Zoë is here for a short visit, and it’s the last time she’ll be able to spend in my little adobe house in Coyote. A neighbor bought it; he wants to develop the house for vacationers, so he’s kicking me out. Ah well.

To celebrate the special occasion, without having to fry and bake and cook too much, I decided to prepare Sri Wasano's Infamous Indonesian Rice Salad from Molly Katzen’s famous cookbook. I always doubted whether it was really an Indonesian dish, whether Sri Wasano really existed, and what made him infamous? Well, in a newspaper interview Molly Katzen actually admitted that the name of the salad is largely fictitious, but don’t let this deter you – it is really delicious!

Photos Jessica Rath

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked brown rice

• ½ cup raisins

• ½ cup cashews (toasted?*)

• ¼ cup chopped green onions

• ¼ cup chopped celery

• 1 large, chopped green pepper

• ½ cup thinly sliced water chestnuts

• ½ cup thinly sliced bamboo shoots

• ½ cup pineapple chunks**

• 1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts

• ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

• ¼  cup fresh parsley, chopped

Dressing:

• ⅓ cup orange juice

• ¼ cup safflower oil

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

• 4 tablespoons tamari

• Juice of one lemon

• 1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

• Salt and pepper to taste

Finished salad. Photo Jessica Rath

Preparation:

In a large bowl, mix the raisins, cashews, green onions, celery, and green pepper. Add the water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, pineapple chunks, and toasted sesame seeds. Carefully add the beansprouts, so they won’t get crushed. Add the rice and mix well.

Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a large mason jar or glass jar, screw on the lid, and shake vigorously for a few minutes, until everything is nicely blended. Pour over your salad and mix carefully.  Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve chilled.

* I prefer raw cashew nuts, but most people prefer them toasted. Follow your taste.

** I’ve always used sliced pineapples from a can, but the recipe actually asks for fresh pineapple. Maybe it’ll taste even better with fresh pineapple.

Variations:

Use a red or orange paper instead of the green one. Add fresh snow peas and/or unsweetened, toasted coconut flakes.

I’m not a peanut person, but one might try and substitute peanuts for the cashews – it’ll add an Indonesian touch.