Curried Rice Salad
User Reviews
4.6
Curried Rice Salad
Description
This Curried Rice Salad uses long grain rice cooked uncovered in boiling water to prevent stickiness and drained thoroughly, then combined with golden raisins to plump during a steam rest. Cooling the rice fully and drying it out prevents mushiness in the finished salad. The salad base includes colorful diced vegetables—red bell pepper, red onion, and green onions—plus protein-rich garbanzo beans and toasted pine nuts adding crunch.
The accompanying curried ginger dressing blends sharp white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, fresh grated ginger, honey for sweetness, curry powder and turmeric for earthy warmth, salt, pepper, chopped mint and parsley, all emulsified with extra virgin olive oil. Tossing the salad ingredients with the dressing coats everything evenly, delivering bright, zesty flavors combined with subtle curry warmth.
This salad is well suited for serving as a cool side dish alongside grilled meats or vegetarian meals, or as a light main in warm weather. The variety of textures from fluffy rice, crunchy nuts, and crisp vegetables complements the complex dressing. Preparing the rice carefully and letting it cool are key steps for success.
Ingredients
FOR CURRIED RICE SALAD
- 1 cup long grain rice
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 1 red bell pepper finely diced
- 3 green onions finely diced
- ¼ cup red onion finely diced
- 15 ounce garbanzo beans drained, canned
- ⅓ cup pine nuts toasted
- 2 tablespoons mint leaf torn, fresh
- 2 tablespoons parsley torn, leaves
FOR CURRIED GINGER DRESSING:
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon ginger freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon honey can substitute maple syrup to make it vegan
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons mint chopped, fresh
- 1 ½ teaspoons parsley chopped, fresh
- 6-7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
MAKE THE RICE
- Fill a large saucepan three-quarters full with water and bring it to a boil. Add the rice and stir occasionally for 15 minutes. Do not cover the pot.
- Drain the rice in a fine mesh strainer to drain as much liquid off as possible. Transfer the rice back to the same pot it was cooked in and add the golden raisins. Cover the pot tightly with the lid and set aside for 10 minutes to steam. (This will plump the raisins).
- Remove the lid and let the rice cool and come to room temperature. Rice will cool and dry out a bit. To accelerate this process you can spread the rice and raisins on a sheet pan in a thin layer and it will take about 5-8 minutes to cool/dry. The rice needs to be dry and at room temperature before adding it to the salad, otherwise the salad will be mushy.
FOR THE SALAD:
- While the rice is cooking/cooling, prep the salad ingredients. Into a large bowl add the red bell pepper, green onions and garbanzo beans. Toss to combine. Add the cooled rice and raisins and toss gently to combine.
FOR THE CURRIED GINGER DRESSING:
- In a medium bowl or glass measuring cup, combine the vinegar, dijon mustard, ginger, honey, curry powder, turmeric, kosher salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, whisking constantly until the dressing has emulsified. Stir in the mint and parsley. Set aside.
ASSEMBLING THE CURRIED RICE SALAD:
- Add the dressing to the rice salad and toss to coat. Add the pine nuts and fresh herbs. Toss and serve at room temperature or chill in the refrigerator and serve cold.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 309 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 309kcal | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 38g | 13% |
| Protein | 6g | 12% |
| Fat | 16g | 25% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Sodium | 309mg | 13% |
| Potassium | 268mg | 6% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 9g | 18% |
| Vitamin A | 656IU | 13% |
| Vitamin C | 22mg | 24% |
| Calcium | 38mg | 4% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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