Sometime between when I left for San Antonio and now, the grass is green again. It’s like I blinked and the ground came alive. I noticed this while Cookie and I were on a nice long walk after work today. While she tried to chase after every bird and squirrel in sight, steering me around like a bumblebee on a string, I observed the springtime show. Cheery yellow daffodils have popped up to say hello, and ordinarily humble forsythia is putting on a show with its graceful, arching golden branches. Spring is here!
I really love going on walks with Cookie, my tireless companion. Before I had a dog, I zoomed around on my bicycle for exercise, which I still love doing, but everything looks different at a slow pace. I notice things I probably wouldn’t if I were biking, and would definitely miss while driving. I get some of my best ideas while we’re walking, and I composed this post in my head while we were out earlier.
I’ve realized that I love food photography for a similar reason. Cooking takes longer when I have to pause and snap photos; it forces me to slow down and find the beauty in the steps and ingredients. I notice and appreciate the subtle striping on a green onion stalk, for instance, and the delicate bend in leaves of watercress. Food photography makes me stop and smell the roses, if you will.
I adapted this pretty salad from a recipe I learned at an Asian seafood cooking class last month. Chef Forster created it as a side salad for salmon, but I turned it into a more filling dish by adding forbidden rice and edamame. He added chopped celery for fun since celery is new in Asia and booming in popularity. Celery! A novelty! Who knew?! While I generally skip celery sticks on those boring, ubiquitous veggie platters, I feel that chopped celery is totally underrated in salads. It adds such a great crunch and flavor to mixed salads like this one (and this one).
This salad is light and refreshing, crisp and tender and crunchy all at once. The predominantly green colors are broken up by chopped orange bell pepper, which seems just right for this time of year even though bell peppers are out of season. My pale legs are out of season, too, but that didn’t stop me from striding along in short shorts today. Oh who am I kidding, my legs are a perpetual shade of pale.
If time allows, make the dressing ahead of time so the garlic and ginger have time to bloom. The vinaigrette is plenty flavorful but doesn’t overpower the vegetables.
Watercress and Forbidden Rice Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette
- Author:
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 large salads 1x
- Category: Salad
Beautiful Asian inspired, healthy green salad tossed in a simple ginger vinaigrette. Edamame and forbidden rice make it a great side dish or light main course.
Ingredients
Ginger Vinaigrette
- 1 inch nub of ginger, grated or finely chopped (grate it on a Microplane and you won’t have to peel it!)
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup quality peanut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 ½ teaspoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon agave nectar
- big pinch red pepper flakes
Salad
- 1 big bunch watercress, very roughly chopped
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
- 2 to 3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup green onion, chopped (include both white and green parts)
- 1 ½ cups shelled edamame (I used frozen)
- 1 ½ cups cooked forbidden rice or wild rice (use ¾ cup rice to 1 ½ cup water)
Instructions
- Make the dressing by whisking the ingredients together well, and set it aside. Make the dressing in advance (preferably an hour or more, but at least as soon as you start cooking your rice) in order to give the garlic and ginger time to bloom.
- Rinse the rice in a mesh colander and then cook it in a rice cooker, according to your manufacturer’s instructions and the volumes given above. Alternatively, you can cook it on the stove. Pour 1 ½ cups of water into a pot and bring it a boil over high heat. Rinse the rice, then add it to the pan. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let it cook until all water is absorbed (35-40 minutes). If it gets too dry, add a splash or more of water as necessary. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Cook the edamame. Bring a pot of water to a boil and pour in frozen edamame. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the edamame is warmed through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain, and set the edamame aside to cool.
- Toss all of the prepared produce in a big bowl. Once the edamame and rice have cooled, add them to the bowl and toss. Whisk your dressing one more time and pour into the bowl, and toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Chef Bill Forster’s cooking class.
Serving suggestions: Serves 3 to 4 as a light main dish or 6 as a side.
Make it gluten free: Use tamari instead of regular soy sauce.
Make it nut free: Use either olive oil or vegetable oil rather than the peanut oil.
Storage suggestions: Stored in the refrigerator, this salad will last for one to two days.
I erroneously called the rice I used wild rice. It’s actually forbidden rice, but I think wild rice would be lovely as well.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Amanda
I know exactly what you mean about having a dog and noticing things that you’d normally miss being outside. My puggle likes to stop and smell everything, which also means I stop and actually take in my surroundings. Definitely one of the many perks of having a dog. :)
Beautiful photography and your recipe sounds fantastic!
Kasey
WOAH! We have some serious ESP…My post today is all about walking and how it helps generate ideas, and how I’ve just now noticed Spring..I’m a little speechless! Anywhoo…on the weekends, I love to ride my bike, but I must agree that the slow pace of walking allows me to see things much more closely, and be more attuned to the world around me. Beautiful looking salad!
Sarah
That salad looks delicious! One of my favorite things to do is walk the dog in the summer evenings. I love looking at everyone else’s gardens and talking with my sister.
Sarah B.
Such a pretty salad indeed babe! So electric! must make this for my mom when I’m out visiting with her next week. We’ll probably be on a cute mother daughter health kick as always, and I have a feeling she’s going to adore this one. Then I’ll show her a snap of cookie, have her melt, and then understand why I crush on cookie and kate so so much. :) enjoy these beautiful days! And lovely as always. xo. sb
kate
You’re the best, Sarah B. xo!
Gina
This recipe sounds so perfect for gathering up all the elements of spring. I feel the same way when walking my dog, a much greater appreciation for things that I otherwise would’ve driven right past. I also feel you on the pale legs thing, I’m pretty sure I blinded people on the local bike trail on my run today.
Heather
Dare I say these are some of your best photos yet?! Amazing!!
Matthew @ Fig & Fork
Your photos are top notch here. Really enjoyable. I’ve been dog walking a weimaraner puppy for 10 months now and have never had a better reason to walk in the cold. Best part of the morning. You’re about the world slowing down when you’re not racing through it on a bike.
Margarita
I love walks… It’s one of those under appreciated workouts… I am guilty of always thinking about doing an activity that’s going to give me a better workout, so I choose to run, hike up the local mountain trail, or read while walking on the tread to save time. But by doing these, I forget how beautiful outdoor walks are, it allows me to reorient myself, see everything, and really enjoy what I’m doing. Thanks for confirming this. Your pictures are lovely and so is this salad.
Katrina
This salad is lovely! Full of colour!
Bev Weidner
This. Is. BEWWWWTUFUL.
janet @ taste space
You make me drool over salad.. I love it! Except, the celery. I hate it.. but everything else looks perfect. I haven’t had wild rice in such a long time. :)
Laura
I love salads like this once the spring first comes on. There may not be lettuces yet, but there’s always sprouts, shoots and cress galore. I like how you made it hearty with the edamame and rice too! And I love food photography for the same reason! Working in kitchens, I’m always pushing through to just get it done, but at home I savour those quiet and gratifying cooking moments. Capturing them is a nice reminder of why I love being in the kitchen.
Ashley
I’m so grateful Spring is finally gracing us with it’s warm breath!! This salad looks perfect for lunch… like right now!!
Faith
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and leaving that sweet comment! I’m glad to have discovered your blog — it’s absolutely gorgeous! This recipe looks fantastic, packed full of flavor and nutrition.
Sylvie @ GitK
What a wonderful salad, I’ve been in the mood for watercress lately.
thelittleloaf
This salad looks absolutely beautiful and I love the dressing with ginger and chilli flakes – such a gorgeous combination of flavours.
Lesley
Funny, I just had some ginger vinaigrette last week that was so very good that I wanted to make it myself. Now I have a template to work from. Thanks!
Jacqui
This salad is beautiful Kate! I really need to get a dog. I used to walk all the time, but now I’m mostly on my bike, still not a bad thing, but I do miss those long moments you have to just think while you’re walking.
Valerie
Oh my goodness this salad looks so Springy and delish and pretty too! Your photos are beautiful they make the salad look so lovely!
S.C.
your stuff is shot beautifully and I can’t wait to try many of your recipes. your blog rocks, thanks so much for your efforts. i hate to to get all pedantic, but the rice in your lovely salad looks more like black or forbidden rice, rather than wild rice. forbidden rice would have a nutty sweetness that would be awesome with the other listed ingredients. i’ve got the black rice in the cooker now and my husband’s gone to the market for the things that i missing for your yummy looking salad. i hope mine turns out as pretty as yours.
S
kate
Thanks for setting me straight, S.C.! Forbidden rice sounds right. I bought that rice at a bulk bin, who knows where, and forgot to label it. I’ve corrected the post!
Dramatic Pancake
I am so jealous you have a dog to take on walks! My building doesn’t allow them but the next place I move to I am making sure it is animal-friendly :) On another note, this salad is gorgeous and so is your photography (as usual)!
Kimber
I swear, there is nothing with a fresher taste than watercress. I need to start using more of this … thanks for sharing! Beautiful work!
Averie @ AverieCooks
I love edamame and the dressing you made…this is so me!
Ruth
Love edamame, love forbidden rice and love watercress. This looks so amazing ,I can’t wait to try it!!! Pictures are beautiful!!!
caryl levine
kate; what a beautiful post; love the photographs and looking forward to making this salad. Every friday the Lotus Foods Team chooses a recipe of the week to make for lunch and yours wins hands down. Thanks and we hope you will try some of our other delicious and nutritious whole grain rices like Bhutanese Red Rice and Volcano Rice.
Best,
Caryl
kate
Thanks Caryl! I hope your team loves the salad as much as I do, please let me know what you all think!
Brittany
Challenge accepted! Making this for dinner tonight—I’ll let you know how it is!
Kate
Eagerly awaiting your review! Hope you enjoyed it.
Samme
I absolutely love this salad! I just made it for my work “lunch club” and it was definitely a success. I added avocado (of course) and I think shrimp would also be good in it.
Thanks, Kate :)
★★★★★
Maren
I stumbled across this yesterday on Pinterest and it made my night. Thank you!
Kate
Yay! Thank you, Maren!
Annice
This salad was fantastic and is going to be a regular meal for me from now on. Satisfying, healthy as all get out, and delicious! I added supremed orange sections to one meal and used up some glazed kumquats on another. The glazed kumquat version was to die for, so that will be my go-to version whenever they are in season. Also opted for Thai sweet chili sauce in the dressing in place of agave nectar and red pepper flakes. So glad I found this recipe!
★★★★★
Lee
So … yeah … I made the salad, but no one really liked it. The flavors of the watercress, rice, edamame, green onion, and orange peppers just didn’t work well together. Dressing was okay, but a little strong. It was pretty, though! :-) It was also super nutritious!
Colleen
I made this today as a side for a vegetarian strata for brunch for my girlfriends. We all loved it. I reduced the amount of rice slightly and added one small avocado. Several of the ladies asked for the recipe, which I am delighted to share. The dressing really makes this special.
Kate
What a fun salad to have for a get together! I’m happy it was a hit for you, Colleen. :)
Annika
So delicious and I will definitely make it again. I cooked the wild rice and made the vinaigrette in advance over the weekend so it was super easy and quick to put together the salad after work. The vinaigrette was very good and gave the salad just the right amount of flavor without overpowering the different ingredients.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing what you liked about it, Annika!