Rice Salads
An Article by Marie Simmons

Like pasta, rice, is a perfect canvas for when I am feeling creative. And there is nothing more creative than taking a bowl of plain cooked rice and turning it into a salad. I make rice salads for dinner all year long – summer, fall, winter and spring – adjusting the ingredients to match what's available in at the farmer's market or what looks good in the produce section of my supermarket.

The first rice salad I remember eating was a Tuscan rice salad. (I was in Tuscany at the time.) The rice was pure white and slightly soft. Probably Arborio or another medium grain rice. In the salad there were bits of chicken, ham, and Parmigiano Reggiano, bright green peas, minced red onion, and al dente cooked carrots cut into tiny square pieces. Small clumps of scrambled egg had been folded into the salad and the top was sprinkled with toasted pignoli. It was memorable.

I prefer rice salad made with freshly cooked rice because rice that has been refrigerated tightens and becomes firm and chewy. White rice takes only 15 minutes to cook and about 15 minutes to cool to lukewarm which is just enough time to make the dressing and prepare the remaining ingredients for the salad.

But if you are using leftover refrigerated rice in your salad its hard texture can be reversed by reheating it until it's lukewarm. Do this by wrapping it in foil and placing it in a warm oven for 10 to 15 minutes or by heating it in a covered glass or other microwave proof container for about 2 minutes.

If it's more convenient to have the salad prepared ahead of time add ingredients like broccoli, peas, and green beans just before serving because acidic dressing will turn them a drab green if they stand for any amount of time. When I need to make a rice salad ahead I refrigerate the prepared vegetables separately, and then add them to the salad just before serving. The dressing and other ingredients can be added ahead, but make sure to taste the salad before serving. Rice is a starch and it will absorb flavors and flatter the overall flavor of the salad. It the salad needs a jolt of flavor add a squeeze of lemon juice, a dash or vinegar, extra olive oil, salt, or some fresh herbs as needed just before serving.

Rice salads can be prepared and then left at room temperature for about 1 hour before serving, especially if your kitchen is cool and the salad doesn't contain meat, seafood, or dairy products that might spoil.

I am such a rice salad fan that the biggest chapters in my two rice cookbooks, Rice, the Amazing Grain (Henry Holt 1991) and The Amazing World of Rice (William Morrow 2003) are the chapters on rice salads. Here are a four of my favorites.

Recipes

• Brown Rice, Mango and Smoked Chicken Salad with Lime and Tamari Dressing
• Parsley and Rice Salad
• Roasted Chickpea and Rice Salad with Lemon and Italian Parsley Dressing
• Tuscan Rice Salad

Copyright © 2003 by Marie Simmons. All rights reserved.