Studded with veggies and crisp apple, the curry rice salad makes a perfect potluck side dish or luncheon. Use freshly cooked or leftover rice.
When I was living in Japan years ago, I bought a high-tech rice cooker with a 14-hour timer and white and brown rice settings. Occasionally I would make way too much rice, especially brown rice. Since I didn’t want to eat it plain, I invented this curry rice salad to add flavor to my leftover rice.
Over the years the recipe has expanded beyond curry, cilantro, apples and raisins to include many other ingredients, again usually anything that will work in the fridge.
Curry rice salad
The secret of this recipe is coriander, raisins and chopped apple. You can also add shrimp, large or small, to make it more of a main salad dish.
The salad gets better the longer it sits in the fridge (up to a point) as the curry oil is absorbed. So it’s a good idea to make a large batch because the leftovers are even better.
ingredients
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1 Cup (175 g) raw Brown rice (if using cooked rice, use about 3 1/2 cups)
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1/4 Cup Extra virgin olive oil
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2 tablespoon yellow curry powder (can substitute curry paste)
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1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
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1/8 teaspoon chili powder
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1 big yellow onion, chopped (250 g)
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1/2 teaspoon Salt
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1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
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1 tablespoon honey
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1 Cup raisins
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1 Appleseeded and chopped (not peeled)
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1 Cup chopped corianderleaves and tender stems
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1 Celery stalk, chopped, optional
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10 to 12 Snow peas, strings removed, chopped, optional
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1/2 Paprika (red, green or yellow), chopped, optional
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1 green onion, chopped, optional
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1 tablespoon rice vinegar (seasoned or unseasoned, can substitute apple cider vinegar)
method
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Cook the brown rice:
Place 1 cup raw brown rice in a saucepan, add 1 3/4 cups water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to very low, simmer 45 minutes, remove Heat off and leave covered for at least another 10 minutes.
How to cook brown riceCONTINUE READING:
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Cooking spices and onion:
In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the curry powder. Add cumin and chili powder. Let the spices simmer gently for 1 minute. Add the chopped yellow onion and salt and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Mix rice and onions:
Place the hot rice in a large mixing bowl, then toss in the onions with the curried oil they were cooked in. Add the toasted sesame oil and honey. You must use a strong wooden spoon to mix. Test the rice. If you need more curry flavor, heat a little more curry powder, chili and cumin in olive oil for a few minutes and add to the rice until you get the desired level of spiciness.
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Add more ingredients to taste:
Add raisins, apple and coriander. Add the celery, snow peas, bell peppers and scallions if using. Stir in a tablespoon of rice vinegar. Add more salt to taste.
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Cool and serve:
The salad is best prepared a day in advance to allow the flavors to blend. Can be served chilled, at room temperature or warm.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 242 | calories |
| 10g | Fat |
| 39g | carbohydrates |
| 3g | protein |
