U.S.A. / RECIPE
May 5, 2014
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 7
Mary Yu appointed to Washington state Supreme Court
SUPREME COURT APPOINTMENT. King
County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu, left, and gov-
ernor Jay Inslee shake hands on the steps of the
Washington state Supreme Court after the announce-
ment of Yu’s appointment to the high court on May 1,
2014 in Olympia, Washington. Yu, who will be sworn
in later this month, will be the first gay justice, and the
first Asian American, to serve on the court. (AP Photo/
Rachel La Corte)
By Rachel La Corte
The Associated Press
O
LYMPIA, Wash. — King County
Superior Court Judge Mary Yu
was appointed to the Washington
state Supreme Court this month, and she
will be the first openly gay justice, as well
as the first Asian American, to serve on the
state’s high court.
Yu, who turns 57 next month, was
appointed by governor Jay Inslee. She
replaces Justice James Johnson, who
announced his retirement because of
health issues. Johnson’s last day on the
bench on April 30. Yu will be sworn in later
this month.
She will be the sixth woman on the
current nine-member court and the second
ethnic minority. The daughter of
immigrants — her mother is from Mexico
and her father is from China — she’s also
the first female Hispanic member of the
court, and the third of Hispanic descent in
court history. Justice Steven Gonzalez was
appointed to the court in late 2011, was
sworn in in early 2012, and was elected to a
full term later that same year.
“The appointment of a Supreme Court
justice is a responsibility I take very, very
seriously,” Inslee said at a news
conference. “Judge Yu has distinguished
herself throughout her career.”
Yu was appointed to the King County
Superior Court by former governor Gary
Locke, and previous to that, she served as
deputy chief of staff to the late King
County prosecutor Norm Maleng. She’s
the first Supreme Court justice appointed
by Inslee, who took office in January 2013.
To keep the seat, she will have to run for
election in November to serve the rest of
Johnson’s term, which was set to expire in
January 2017.
Inslee said Yu was “someone of great
intellect, dedication, compassion, with a
never-wavering commitment to ensure
justice for everyone.”
As a superior court judge, when the
state’s first gay marriages started taking
place around the state on December 9,
2012, she officiated over the first King
County marriage just after midnight.
In 2011, she, along with Gonzalez,
received the Outstanding Judge of the
Year award from the Washington state
Bar Association for their work on
researching racial disparity in the state’s
criminal justice system.
“I believe it’s clear to everyone that
judge Yu has both the qualifications and
the life experience to sit on our state’s
highest court,” he said.
Yu will take the seat of the justice who
was considered the most conservative
member of the court. Johnson often wrote
in favor of individual property rights,
police tactics, and the state’s Public
Records Act. He was also not afraid to
stand alone in dissent. He recently cast the
only vote against having the court retain
oversight of education spending in
Washington, saying the court was
overstepping its bounds, and the only vote
against allowing the governor’s office to
claim “executive privilege” in withholding
documents from public view.
Johnson, 68, was first elected to the
court in 2004 and re-elected in 2010. He
decided to not serve out the rest of his term
after missing oral arguments because of
illness. He told the News Tribune of
Tacoma that in addition to needing to have
a hip replacement redone, he was
diagnosed with polycythemia vera, a rare,
but nonfatal, blood disease that causes
bone marrow to overproduce cells,
especially red blood cells, and that causes
headaches and fatigue.
After the ceremony, Johnson told the
Northwest News Network that while he
personally likes Yu, he was concerned that
“this court still is not balanced, does not
represent all the people of the state, and
I’m not sure this is a positive step.”
In her earlier remarks, Yu addressed the
potential consternation some may have
with the fact that she’s from the
predominantly liberal city of Seattle.
“While I am from King County, I want
each of you to know I am truly and
earnestly committed to serving all the
people of Washington,” she said.
Yu earned her bachelor’s degree in
religious studies from Rosary College and
a master’s of theology from Mundelein
College of Loyola University. She received
her law degree from the University of
Notre Dame Law School. Before moving to
Washington state, she worked for the
Archdiocese of Chicago, first as an asso-
ciate and later as the director of the office
for the ministry of peace and justice.
A forbidden take on a healthy rice pudding
By Sara Moulton
Associated Press
S
peaking as a mom and a chef, let me
assure you — one of the nicest
things you can do for Mom on
Mother’s Day is cook for her. Something
sweet is best. And my candidate?
Comforting, traditional rice pudding.
Or maybe not so traditional. Classic rice
puddings are made from plain white rice.
The grains are very tender, the flavor is
kind of bland, and the color is white. In my
recipe, which is made using black
forbidden rice, the grains are slightly
chewy, the flavor is slightly nutty, and the
color is deep purple.
Once upon a time forbidden rice was said
to be literally forbidden. First cultivated in
China, forbidden rice was so rare — and so
nutritious — no one was allowed to eat it
except for the emperor. Today, forbidden
rice is considered a delicious and healthy
whole grain we can all enjoy.
Like brown rice, forbidden rice is
unpolished; the hull of the grain, a rich
source of insoluble fiber, is left intact. It’s
also a good source of iron and vitamin E,
and a great source of the same antioxi-
dants that put the blue in blueberries. I
was first introduced to forbidden rice six
years ago, when it was still rare. Thank-
fully, these days it’s readily available at
most grocers.
In this recipe, the rice is cooked until
tender, then combined with whole milk,
sugar, cinnamon, eggs, and vanilla. The
whole milk — replacing the more tradi-
tional (and more caloric) heavy cream —
does a great job of delivering the desired
silkiness. The cinnamon stick and vanilla
— which deliver big flavor — are the most
important ingredients next to the rice. If
you’ve been waiting for an occasion to use
that extra-special Sri Lankan cinnamon or
Tahitian vanilla you received as Christ-
mas gifts, now’s the time to pull them off
the shelf.
Making this recipe is pretty near a snap.
It shouldn’t require more than 15 minutes
of your undivided attention. The rest of the
time it’ll just simmer away on its own.
Unlike brown rice, forbidden rice cooks up
in a relatively speedy 30 minutes. You will,
however, need to pay close attention when
you add the eggs, making sure they don’t
get so hot that they scramble.
Finally, I’d like to encourage you to top it
all off with some crystallized ginger, as
suggested. It was one of my mom’s favorite
little treats and it provides the perfect
finishing touch of chewy, spicy contrast to
the creamy pudding.
w
Forbidden Rice Pudding
Start to finish:
3 hours, 25 minutes (15 minutes active)
Servings: 4
1/2 cup forbidden rice
(Chinese black rice)
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups whole milk, divided
3 tablespoons sugar
1 large cinnamon stick
Salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger,
to garnish (optional)
In a small saucepan over medium-high
heat, combine the rice and water. Bring to
a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Let stand
for a few minutes, then pour through a
mesh strainer to discard any excess water.
Return the rice to the pot over medium-
high heat. Add two cups of the milk, the
sugar, the cinnamon stick, and a hefty
TASTY TREAT. Making Forbidden Rice Pudding
is pretty near a snap, and shouldn’t require more than
15 minutes of your undivided attention. (AP Photo/
Matthew Mead)
pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce
the heat to simmer and cook uncovered,
stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the
remaining 1/2 cup milk. Whisk in a large
spoonful of the hot rice mixture. Add the
egg mixture to the rice and cook over
medium-low heat, stirring constantly,
until the custard coats the back of a spoon,
four to five minutes. Do not let the rice
pudding boil or the eggs will scramble.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir
in the vanilla, and transfer the rice
pudding to a bowl. Cover the pudding and
chill until cold, at least two hours. The
pudding will thicken as it chills. To serve,
discard the cinnamon stick and divide the
rice pudding among four bowls. Top each
portion with some of the ginger.
Nutrition information per serving: 280
calories (70 calories from fat, 25 percent of
total calories); 8 g fat (3.5 g saturated, 0 g
trans fats); 105 mg cholesterol; 42 g
carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 17 g sugar; 10 g
protein; 160 mg sodium.
Editor’s Note: Sara Moulton was executive chef at
Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a
decade hosting several Food Network shows. She
currently stars in public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight
Meals” and has written three cookbooks, including
Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.
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