About 4cups sliced or chopped raw or simply cooked chilled vegetables (like broccoli, cabbage, Asian greens, radishes, corn, celery, or mushrooms)
About 2cups sliced or chopped simply cooked protein (like beef, pork, chicken, fish, or tofu)
1/3cup lime juice, or more to taste (from about 3 limes)
1/3cup good-quality vegetable oil, like grapeseed or sunflower
2 tablespoons maple, agave, or cane syrup, or more to taste
1 tablespoon fish sauce, or more to taste
1/3cup grated carrot
1 or more small red chiles (like Thai or serrano), chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 or 2 sliced scallions, for garnish
1/2cup cilantro leaves or tender sprigs, for garnish
1/2cup chopped peanuts or cashews for garnish
Instructions
Put the farro in a medium pot with the soy sauce 2 cups water, a pinch of salt, and lots of black pepper. Bring to a boil then lower the heat so the liquid bubbles steadily. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the kernels have just begun to burst and are tender and pleasantly chewy, 25 to 30 minutes.
Transfer the farro to a mesh sieve set in the sink and rinse briefly under cold running water to stop the cooking. Let drain.
While the farro cooks and drains prepare the vegetables, protein, and garnishes. Slice or chop everything as you like and keep separate in small bowls so everyone can use the toppings they like.
To make the dressing, put the line juice, oil, syrup, fish sauce, carrots, and chile in a pint jar (or small bowl). Add 2 tablespoons water and a lot of black pepper. Shake (or whisk) vigorously until emulsified. (The dressing will separate relatively quickly, which is why a jar is handy.) Taste and add more lime juice, fish sauce, or chile, and a teeny bit of salt if necessary. (All of the salad components can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated for up to several hours.)
Put the farro, protein and vegetables in a meal-size bowl. Drizzle some dressing over all and garnish with the scallions, cilantro, and peanuts (or cashews). Serve the remaining dressing at the table.
— Recipe developed by The Bittman Project for Bob’s Red Mill