You have to make this divine recipe for crunchy rice salad
If I could eat nothing but salad for the rest of my life, I’d be absolutely fine with that. I could easily eat Caprese salad three times a day. That’s very Italian, of course, but believe me: I definitely don’t stick to the Mediterranean when it comes to my salads. Take this insanely delicious crunchy Thai rice salad, based on Nam khao from Laos.
I came across it on @fitgreenmind’s Instagram account. She’s highly recommended if you eat vegetarian or vegan, because everything she makes is free from meat, fish and dairy products. The great thing about her crunchy rice salad—apart from the incredible fried curry rice and phenomenal spicy dressing—is that it takes absolutely no effort to make. You bake the rice in the oven, so it does a large part of the work for you. The dressing comes together in no time too. In short, I can’t think of any reason not to get started RIGHT NOW.
How to make crunchy rice salad
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Meanwhile, cook the basmati rice until tender.
- Mix the Thai red curry paste with the oil. Stir this into the cooked basmati rice. Spread the basmati rice over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the rice in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, tossing it once halfway through.
- Make the dressing. Finely chop the chili pepper and garlic. Add the soy sauce, freshly squeezed lime juice, sugar and water. Mix everything well.
- Prepare the toppings. Cut a cucumber into small pieces. Finely chop the mint and cilantro (or parsley, if you hate cilantro). Add this to the cucumber. Meanwhile, roughly chop the toasted coconut flakes and peanuts. Add the fried rice, coconut flakes and peanuts to the cucumber. Finally, top with the crispy fried onions.
More salad tips
Want to make salads more often? I have a few tips for you that you can always apply as a salad maker. Like this very handy rule of thumb, which will give you the perfect salad every time. And what about the secret ingredient for the tastiest salad dressing? One thing’s for sure: salads really don’t have to be boring. You’ll never have to rant about that again (if you have the same temperament as this man on Twitter).
Read also:
- Stop it! Salad does not belong in a jar
- Tested: all the Johma chicken salads you can buy
- Differences between Thai curries
Recipe: @fitgreenmind
