Accounting for Taste

This simple weeknight meal makes great use of pantry staples to create complex flavors with minimal work. Miso is often used to flavor soups or sauces, and here, it is added to raw rice before cooking, which results in a delightfully sticky, savory steamed rice. Fragrant and nutty basmati is called for, but any long-grain rice, such as jasmine (which we used), will work.

Shredded cabbage brings freshness and crunch to the finished dish, but use whatever crispy vegetable you have on hand such as shredded Brussels sprouts, carrots, snap peas, and/or radishes. We had leftover red cabbage, so we used that along with shredded carrots and radishes providing wonderful pops of color!

If possible, use a hand mandoline to get paper thin carrot and radish slices. And if you desire a heftier meal, add some canned chickpeas, white beans or black beans, although neither of us thought it would be necessary.

To finish, the vibrant tang of the bright ginger-scallion vinaigrette balances the richness of the roasted salmon, which we cooked only a pound for the two of us. But if you make the full 1 1/2 pounds, you may want to consider doubling that scallion vinaigrette.

Probably the biggest change we made to the recipe was how we cooked the fish. Instead of in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet, we used a non-stick skillet, and cooked skin-side down for the first 6 minutes, then carefully turned it over to finish, about another 2 minutes.

Quick, easy, colorful and healthy. What more can you ask for as a weeknight meal?

Pan-Seared Salmon With Miso Rice and Ginger-Scallion Vinaigrette

Servings: 4
Time: 30 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1/4 cup white or sweet miso
1 1/2 cups basmati or other long-grain rice
4 skin-on salmon fillets, (6-ounces each)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped scallions, plus more for garnish
1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
4 cups finely shredded cabbage, such as green, Napa or savoy; OR a mix of thinly sliced cruciferous veggies (about 8 ounces)
Toasted sesame oil, for serving

Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium saucepan, whisk miso with 2 1/4 cups water until dissolved. Stir in rice and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork (it will be a little sticky).
On a rimmed baking sheet, rub salmon all over with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and arrange skin-side up. Roast until fish is just opaque and cooked to medium, 8 to 10 minutes. OR, in a non-stick skillet over medium-high, sear the salmon skin side down for 6 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Carefully flip over and sear another 2 minutes or so. For medium to medium-rare, aim for 125˚F to 135˚F.
In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, scallions, vinegar and ginger, and season with salt and pepper.
Divide miso rice and cabbage, and other vegetables if using, among bowls. Top with salmon, ginger-scallion vinaigrette and sesame oil.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Loosely adapted from a recipe by Kay Chun for NY Times Cooking

An easy weeknight version of Indian curry, this Japanese-riff is a one-pot meal featuring juicy chicken thighs, vegetables and rice. Instead of relying on store-bought or homemade instant curry roux, the recipe builds on a few spices to mimic traditional Japanese curry flavors.

Curry powder, ground nutmeg and Worcestershire sauce are combined and bloomed in butter to create the round and rich sauce. Onions, potatoes and carrots create the bulk of traditional Japanese curry. You can easily substitute sweet potatoes, cauliflower and/or peas to address family preferences.

Kay Chun’s original recipe called for 2 pounds of large chicken thighs. The math doesn’t add up here. We bought a package nearly 2 1⁄2 pounds containing only 5 thighs—and they weren’t necessarily “large,” so if you were serving 6 people, that would be a challenge. I say forget the poundage, and just buy 6 large thighs—there is enough rice mixture to support that many servings.

It is suggested you serve in bowls. Maybe because we used a “paella” rice which is really absorbent, there wasn’t much liquid and could have been served on plates. Speaking of liquid, of course we used homemade stock which adds oodles of flavor. And we nearly doubled the amount of minced fresh ginger to really amp up the Asian flavor.

One-Pot Japanese Curry Chicken and Rice

Servings: 4-6
Time: 1 hr, 15 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 Tbsp. canola oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 Tbsp. Madras curry powder
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups short-grain white rice, rinsed until water runs clear
1 large baking potato (about 1 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 medium carrots, sliced 1/2-inch-thick
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Chopped scallions pickles, kimchi and/or hot sauce, for serving

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt and pepper.
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot (at least 3 1⁄2 quarts), heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil with 1 tablespoon butter over medium until butter is melted. Working in two batches, brown chicken 3 to 4 minutes per side, and transfer to a plate.
Add onion to the pot, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 minutes. Add curry powder, garlic, ginger, nutmeg and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and stir until butter is melted and spices are fragrant, 1 minute.
Add rinsed rice and stir until evenly coated in spices. Add potato, carrots, broth and Worcestershire sauce, scraping bottom of pot to lift up any browned bits. Season broth generously with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken and any accumulated juices on top, skin-side up, and bring to a boil over high. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
Uncover and bake until most of the liquid is absorbed and chicken is golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes longer.
Divide chicken and rice among bowls, and garnish with scallions. If desired, serve with any combination of pickles, kimchi and hot sauce.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Kay Chun for NY Times Cooking