WILD RICE SALAD

Name: WILD RICE SALAD
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 3 -6 people
Ingredients: 150g (5oz / 1 cup) wild rice; 120g (4oz) baby rocket / arugula; 1 pomegranate; 100g (3.5oz) feta; 3/4 cup dried cranberries; 3/4 cup roughly chopped toasted pecans; 1 cup green onions; 2 tbsp white wine vinegar; 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 garlic clove; 1 tsp sugar; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper

User Reviews

5.0

162 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings
3 -6 people
Calories
361 kcal
Course
Side Dish

WILD RICE SALAD

Kai Walton

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The vibrant colours, flavours and textures in this salad are sensational! A great holiday salad or for special occasions. Serves 3 as meal or 5 - 6 as side. Recipe VIDEO below.

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Ingredients

Servings

150g (5oz / 1 cup) wild rice , uncooked (Note 1)
120g (4oz) baby rocket / arugula , roughly chopped (~2 giant handfuls)
1 pomegranate , seeds only (see video, Note 2)
100g (3.5oz) feta , preferably soft Danish, crumbled (Note 3)
3/4 cup dried cranberries (or similar)
3/4 cup roughly chopped toasted pecans
1 cup green onions , sliced (or chopped red onion)

Dressing:

2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar, or other clear-ish vinegar)
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 garlic clove , minced
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

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Instructions

Wild Rice

Boil 1 litre/quart+ of water in large saucepan (no need to be exact). Add rice, lower heat so it’s simmering gently. Cover then cook for 40 minutes (Note 4), or until rice is tender but not super soft (some will burst).
Drain then leave to steam dry and cool.
Salad
Shake Dressing in a jar, set aside for 15 minutes+.
Place rocket, rice, cranberries, pecans and green onions in a bowl. Add some of the feta and pomegranate. Pour over most of the Dressing, toss gently.
Transfer into serving bowl, top with remaining feta and pomegranate. Serve immediately.

Notes

Wild Rice isn’t actually a rice, it’s a grain. It tastes nutty and almost toasted, so much more interesting than plain rice! I get my from Harris Farms, it’s also sold in some Woolworths (Macro organic brand, health food section), fruit & veg stores like Thomas Dux (I'm in Australia).
POMEGRANATE: To remove seeds, cut in half then hold one half cut side down in your hand over a bowl. Use a wooden spoon to "spank" it firmly! The seeds will fly out into your hand.
Soft feta, called Danish feta here in Australia, is ideal for this salad. Goat's cheese is also fantastic with this. Soft crumbled cheese pairs really well with this salad. Ordinary Greek feta is fine too - once crumbled. :)
How to cook Wild Rice: Just cook it like pasta, then drain and leave to steam and cool. If you like your rice/pasta firm, then 35 minutes will do it. I like mine tender but not super soft, so 40 - 45 minutes is my time. If you like rice/pasta super soft, cook your wild rice for 50 minutes.
MAKE AHEAD: Ideal for making ahead, prepare all ingredients in a bowl but don't toss. Make dressing in a jar and leave for up to 2 days. Then toss it all together just before serving. But even after dressing, this salad keeps quite well because it's not a super leafy salad - I am happy with mine even after 48 hours. DO NOT keep dressing for longer than 48 hours because it has raw garlic in it (just to be safe, because minced raw garlic can go off after 3 days or so and have nasty consequences).
Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings.