Name: Rice Salad with Peas and Mushrooms
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: Salt; 1 cup long-grain rice; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms , stemmed and sliced thin; 1 cup frozen peas; 3 ounces snow peas (about 1 cup), trimmed and halved; 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger; 1 clove garlic , minced; 3 tablespoons rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 1 tablespoon honey

Why This Recipe Works

Packed with crisp vegetables and bright flavors, rice salad recipes should be a refreshingly light summer side dish. But most recipes use salty dressing and feature clumps of sticky rice as the main attraction. To avoid these pitfalls, we found that boiling the rice washed away much of the starch that causes clumping, and letting the rice cool completely on a cookie sheet before dressing it prevented soggy, oversaturated grains. Sautéed shiitake mushrooms gave our rice salad recipe a deep, earthy flavor. And instead of adding ginger and garlic to our dressing (as many recipes do), we sautéed them with mushrooms to bloom their flavor.

Before You Begin

Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the rice.

Instructions

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and rice to boiling water and cook, uncovered, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain rice and spread on rimmed baking sheet to cool completely.

Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Cook mushrooms, covered, until softened, about 2 minutes. Remove lid, add peas, and cook until peas are bright green, about 2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Off heat, stir in vinegar, sesame oil, and honey. Pour mushroom mixture over cooled rice and toss until combined. Season with salt. Serve. (Salad can be refrigerated for 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.)