Salade Lacmé

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium saucepan, at least 3 quarts / 3 L
• •Rimmed sheet pan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Clean tea towel
• •Large shallow mixing bowl
• •Flexible spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Blister and peel pepper

   Set the red capsicum beneath a hot broiler and turn it as each face blisters and blackens, about 12 to 15 minutes altogether. Enclose it in a covered bowl for 10 minutes, then peel away the skin, remove the stem and seeds, and wipe off any stubborn black flecks without rinsing away the sweet juices. Dice the flesh and let it drain in a sieve. Measure ¾ cup only; if the pieces still shed liquid, press them gently between clean towels so they cannot water the salad.

2. 2

   Boil rice plainly

   Rinse the rice under cold water until the runoff is nearly clear. Bring the measured water to a full boil with 2½ teaspoons of the salt, scatter in the rice, and stir once so nothing catches. Boil uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, tasting early; drain the instant the grains are tender but still intact. Rinse thoroughly under cold water, shake the sieve firmly, then spread the rice in a thin layer across a rimmed tray. Leave it until completely cold and surface-dry, about 20 minutes. If the grains begin clinging together, rinse them briefly again, drain harder, and spread them back out. Ça se rattrape.

   Do not cook the curry with the rice. Plain water and quick cooling preserve the whiteness demanded by Salade Lacmé, while abundant water carries away the starch that would make the grains sticky.
3. 3

   Cisel, wash, press

   Cut the onion ciselé, in fine, short crosswise pieces reminiscent of a chaff-cutter's cut. Put it in a fine sieve, wash it thoroughly beneath cold running water, then wrap it in a clean towel and press firmly until dry. Washing removes the harsh surface compounds without taking away the onion's crispness; pressing matters just as much, because trapped water weakens the vinaigrette.

   Taste one piece after pressing. It should remain fresh and onion-scented, but the raw burn should no longer linger.
4. 4

   Measure the red pair

   Measure exactly ¾ cup of the drained red capsicum and ¾ cup of the chilled tomato sauce. The source gives these in equal quantity, and that proportion stays. The sauce should mound softly on a spoon rather than run like juice; if yours is loose, drain it in a fine sieve until thick, then measure it again.

5. 5

   Make curry vinaigrette

   Whisk the vinegar with the curry powder, white pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Let it stand for 5 minutes so the curry hydrates, then whisk in the oil gradually to make a loose vinaigrette. Whisk in the tomato sauce until smooth. This emulsion need not hold forever, but it should be even when it meets the rice; if it separates while waiting, whisk it once more.

6. 6

   Fold without crushing

   Put the cold rice in a wide bowl and loosen it gently with a fork. Add the pressed onion and diced capsicum, then pour over the tomato-curry vinaigrette. Fold from the bottom with a flexible spatula, turning the bowl as you work, until the seasoning is evenly distributed. Stop as soon as it is combined. Stirring hard breaks the grains and turns their surface pasty. If a little dressing collects at the bottom, leave the salad for 10 minutes and fold once more; the rice will take it up.

7. 7

   Rest and serve cool

   Cover and refrigerate the salad for 30 minutes so the curry settles into the tomato and oil. Bring it out 10 minutes before serving, fold it once, and taste; it should be cool rather than numb, gently curried, and cleanly acidic. Serve from a broad shallow bowl with no ornamental garnish. The red capsicum is colour enough. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use ordinary long-grain white rice. Fragrant rice brings its own perfume, while short-grain rice carries too much surface starch; Salade Lacmé asks for a neutral grain that stays separate.
• •Choose a thick, plain tomato sauce without basil, garlic, cheese, or sweetness. Good canned tomato is the honest pantry answer when fresh tomatoes are poor, and here the source specifically calls for sauce, not fresh tomato pieces.
• •Use a mild French-style curry powder with turmeric, coriander, cumin, and fenugreek in balance. It should warm the vinaigrette rather than dominate it; stale curry tastes dusty, so replace a jar that has lost its aroma.
• •This salad belongs beside cold roast poultry, sliced ham, hard-boiled eggs, or a platter of plainly cooked vegetables. A crisp dry white wine suits it, but keep the bottle simple because curry makes delicate wines disappear.
• •Cooked rice requires proper cold storage. Chill the spread rice promptly, keep the finished salad at 40°F / 4°C or below, and at an outdoor table return it to the cooler within 2 hours, or within 1 hour in very hot weather.

Advance Preparation

• •The capsicum may be broiled, peeled, diced, and drained up to 24 hours ahead. Refrigerate it in a covered container and press away any liquid that gathers before measuring.
• •The rice may be boiled a day ahead. Spread it to cool quickly, refrigerate it within an hour, and cover it once thoroughly cold so it does not dry into hard grains.
• •The completed salad is at its best after 2 to 6 hours in the cold and keeps for 2 days. For a potluck, carry it in a shallow sealed container surrounded by ice packs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 245g)