During a recent trip to Seattle to visit family, we baked up some Enchiladas Suizas for a luncheon one afternoon. My stepdaughter Jessica made a delicious cilantro rice side dish she had recently discovered on What’s Gaby Cooking blog. Generally there’s no middle ground on the subject of cilantro. You either love or hate it. Even though she may not yet be a fully converted cilantro lover, I’m happy she shared this recipe with us. It’s truly delicious.
Besides waiting for the brown rice to cook, the only other step that takes a few minutes to complete is removing the stems from the cilantro sprigs. Otherwise, it’s a snap to make. I used our immersion blender the first time I made the cilantro dressing. It did a decent job but our Vitamix turned out perfectly pureed ingredients in just a few seconds.
The rice makes a wonderful side dish for any Mexican meal or as a meal of its own served with avocado and crispy cucumbers. Mexican Style Grilled Chicken is the perfect main dish to serve with this rice.
- 2 cups long grain brown rice
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped shallot
- 2 cups tightly packed fresh cilantro, tough stems discarded
- 1 medium garlic clove
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you prefer a spicier flavor)
- ⅓ scant cup mild olive oil, or a mix of canola and extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Cook brown rice in a rice cooker or on the stove top according to package directions.
- Combine shallot through salt in a blender (Vitamix or other high-powered blender works best). Blend ingredients for about 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides as needed. Blend another 15 seconds, or until the cilantro dressing is very smooth.
- Place cooked brown rice in a large serving bowl. Pour cilantro dressing over the rice and toss to coat well.
- The rice is best eaten when warm. You may reheat the rice if made in advance or if frozen, defrost in the refrigerator and reheat gently.
