Toss it in !

Dear Foodies,


A looooonnngggg time ago I read about rice-grain shaped pasta and like a sincere foodie I put down in my shopping list and got a small pouch of it home. Well, and there the story ended too...atleast until now. The pack of pasta moved from table to closet and from one shelf to another but never saw the light of the stove !! It has been a near 3 months now. Some time last week I was at home in the evening and was in no mood of cooking something. A salad seemed like a good idea. I had seen a show on Food TV where orzo was used in a salad. Now one of the reasons for the orzo to lie in my kitchen was I had no clue what I could make of such a beauty ! But now I had a plan :-)

The salad had a lil of everything. Some juicy carrots, nutty almonds and sesame seeds, tangy lime and some crunch from onions. There was also some grated ginger and fresh coriander that took the whole salad to a new level.


Ingredients:

• 1 cup - Orzo, rice-grain shaped pasta
• 1 nos - Carrot, grated
• 1/2 nos - Red onion, finely chopped
• a small piece of Ginger, grated (~1/2 inch)
• 1 Tbsp - Sesame seeds
• a few almonds, slivered
  
• Salt and Pepper for seasoning
• 1 Tbsp - Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tbsp - Lemon juice
• fresh Coriander leaves for garnish

Procedure:

1. Cook the orzo as per the instructions on the pack. Add a few drops of olive oil to have separate gains and also a pinch of salt.
2. In a microwavable plate toast the sesame seeds in the microwave for 30-40 seconds until they start crackling. Do the same with the almonds too, they'll turn crunchy. Both these add a nice crunch and nuttiness to the salad.
3. In a bowl add the olive oil, grated carrots, ginger, cooked pasta and all the other ingredients.
   
4. Season with salt and pepper, a dash of lemon juice, garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and nuts.
   
5. Toss them all together and you have a refreshingly light yet filling salad all ready to eat in less than 20 mins.
   

I had this for dinner and a bowl of it was more than I could have, I was full and my taste buds totally satisfied. I just loved the medley of flavors bursting with each bite. The orzo was perfectly cooked and was really nice to vite into. The crunch from the sesame seeds and almonds was fun to bite into and made the salad interesting. I also added a tiny pieces of jalapeno for some extra heat. You can add fresh tomatoes and other herbs to dress it up a little more. Do give this a try, I am sure you'll love it.