Curried Rice Salad
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 can garbanzo beans drained
⅓ cup toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves torn
2 tablespoons parsley leaves torn
Curried Ginger Dressing:
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
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 chopped fresh mint
1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
6-7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Directions
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.
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.
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.
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.
