Red Rice Salad Recipe, How to make Red Rice Salad

Red Rice Salad Recipe with Mint Dressing with step by step photos and easy to follow instructions:

Red Rice Salad with Mint Dressing – a delightful and healthy side dish that is not only full of flavors but also very nutritious. The hearty salad made with red rice has tons of flavor, refreshing crunch of cucumber and creamy bits of tangy goat cheese. This is a lovely salad to take to a picnic or to serve at outdoor gathering on a sunny summer’s day.  

Have you ever had red rice before? If not, then, you should try it now. If you like brown rice, you will love red rice. I found it at South Indian grocery store. It looked very appealing to me and I thought to experiment with it. I have seen the other varieties of red rice that are generally available at North-American supermarkets, but these are different kind of Red Rice. This variety of red rice is available at most Southeast Asian supermarkets or you can buy it online.

Red rice are unpolished rice which has higher nutritional value compared to white rice. It has many health benefits and highly recommended for persons with diabetes and heart patients. It is also known as Matta Rice, Kerala Matta Rice, Rosematta Rice or Palakkandan Matta Rice grown in State of Kerala in South India.

Red Rice Salad is wonderful cold or warm. Enjoy it cold on hot summer days and warm on a cold, damp day. The cool mint dressing notches up the flavor and add wonderful aroma to the salad. The best flavor comes out in summer when fresh herbs are available in abundance in my garden. If you are not a mint lover, you can easily use any other herbs of choice such as dill, parsley or cilantro. The crunch of the refreshing cucumber and tanginess of goat cheese brighten up the flavors of the salad.
Red rice is a nice change from white rice. It is less chewy and cooks faster than brown rice. Red rice also pairs very well with Raajma, Daal or any other curry dish.

How to make Red Rice Salad with Mint Dressing:

1. Cook red rice according to the instructions on the package with some salt according to your taste.
   
2. Transfer the cooked rice into a mixing bowl and let it cool a little.
   
3. Cut and prepare vegetables. I steamed the broccoli and cauliflower in the microwave for 35 seconds to eliminate the raw texture . You can leave it as is if preferred. I added some pomegranate seeds. We have nice and plump pomegranates available now at the supermarket. You can replace pomegranate with other fruits such as strawberries, pear or apple.
   Toss the vegetables and fruits with rice.
   
4. Prepare the dressing with finely chopped fresh mint, garlic, shallots, red wine vinegar, fresh lime juice , salt and pepper. Add olive oil slowly while whisking the dressing.
   
5. Add the dressing to the rice and mix well until rice and vegetables and coated with the dressing. Add chunks of goat cheese and gently mix again. Red Rice Salad is ready. Enjoy!!
   
   
   Red Rice Salad Recipe, How to make Red Rice Salad

    

   

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   Prep time

   15

   Cook time

   30

   Total time

   45

    

   A delightful and healthy side dish that is not only full of flavors but also very nutritious. The hearty salad made the red rice has tons flavor, crunch of cucumber and creamy bits of tangy goat cheese.

   Author: Raj Brar

   Recipe type: Salad/Side Dish

   Cuisine: North American

   Serves: 3-4 servings

   Ingredients

   • 1 cup red rice
   • ½ tsp salt or to taste
   • Water as required
   • 2 cups cauliflower, cut into small pieces
   • 2 cups broccoli, cut into small pieces
   • 2 cups cucumber, cut into small pieces
   • ½ cup pomegranate seeds
   • ¼ cup goat cheese, broken into chunks
   • Dressing
   • ½ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
   • 1 clove garlic, minced
   • 2 dry shallots or 1 small red onion, finely chopped
   • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
   • 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
   • ¼ olive oil
   • 1 tsp ground black pepper
   • Salt to taste

   Instructions

   1. Cook rice with salt following the instructions on the package.
   2. Transfer cooked rice into a mixing bowl and let it cool a little.
   3. Steam cook the cauliflower and broccoli to soften it just a little.
   4. Add cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber and pomegranate seeds to the rice.
   5. In another small mixing bowl, add chopped mint, garlic, shallots, lime juice and red wine vinegar. Gradually whisk the olive oil into the dressing. Add black pepper and salt.
   6. Pour the dressing over the rice and mix well until rice and vegetables are coated with dressing.
   7. Add goat cheese and gently mix again.
   8. Serve warm or cold.

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