Asian Millet Salad with Mango

The one thing that I think is quintessential to all summer salads is a light zippy dressing that allows the true flavors of the fruits and vegetables to shine through. By that marker this salad is a perfect salad to make if you’re planning a little get together for the summer solstice.

Weary about trying a new grain? If you like quinoa, you’ll most likely love millet. You can even toast millet at the beginning of the cooking process to bring out the nuttiness like you would with quinoa.
My husband was out of town on business last week and this little salad was a perfect thing to have around for “quick, scoop into a bowl and sit outside in the sun kind” of lunches. It would than take it’s place at dinner too. When something is good, why not?

Now you may be thinking that I’m just lazy and didn’t feel like putting that much effort into dinner, especially when one eats alone. You wouldn’t be entirely incorrect. However the other factor is that when my husband is not around it takes far longer to go through a batch of food I just made. So much so that I need to eat it for lunch and dinner for a few days to get through it before it goes bad. I did not mind one little bit. I get bored of food so quickly and I’m always looking for another fun flavor combination for my tongue to investigate, but for some reason that didn’t happen on this one. I think it’s because the dressing is so light. Who knows? Anyway it’s a heck of a good salad for a pot luck, bbq or party food. So if you were looking for an excuse to have a bunch of people over, you could celebrate summer solstice. It’s as good of an excuse as any.

Asian Millet Salad with Mango

Asian Ginger Dressing

• 1 Tbsp grated ginger
  2 Tbsp rice vinegar
  juice of 1 lime
  1/2 tsp salt
  1 Tbsp honey
  1 tsp sesame oil

Mix together until well combined.

Millet Salad

• 1 cup millet
  1 mango
  1/2 red pepper
  1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
  1 green onion
  1/2 cucumber
  1 grated carrot
  2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

In a medium sized pot, toast 1 cup of millet seeds over medium high heat until they start to pop and become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and cover. Allow the steam to continue cooking the millet for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool. Chop the mango, red pepper, cilantro, mint, onion and cucumber. Add all the ingredients, including the dressing to the millet and toss until well combined.

Serve over a bed of lettuce, pea shoots or sprouts. Adding seared Ahi tuna makes this a great entree as well.