New Zealand Brown Rice Salad
Submitted by ll
New Zealand brown rice salad tosses chewy brown rice with kiwi fruit, crisp apple, celery, red bell pepper, toasted walnuts, and a sherry vinegar dressing. Bright fruit-and-grain side, vegan-friendly.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
45 minREADY
120 minNew Zealand brown rice salad is a celebration of the country’s signature fruit: bright green kiwi, star of this whole-grain side. Cooled brown rice is the chewy base, then it’s tossed with sliced kiwi, diced tart apple, celery, red bell pepper strips, toasted walnuts, scallions, and parsley.
The dressing is restrained on purpose. Just sherry vinegar and a single tablespoon of olive oil, which lets the natural sweetness of the kiwi and apple come forward instead of getting buried.
The one to two hour chill is the move. It softens the rice grains slightly, marries the flavors, and lets the kiwi mellow without breaking down.
Kitchen Tips
- Cook the rice the day before and chill overnight. Cold rice holds its grain integrity in salads and never turns sticky.
- Use firm-ripe kiwi. Overripe kiwi turns to mush during the chill and stains the rice green.
- Toast the walnuts on a dry skillet for 4 to 5 minutes until fragrant. Untoasted walnuts taste flat in a salad.
- Add the apple right before serving if making far ahead, or toss it with a squeeze of lemon to keep it from browning.
Variations
- Add ½ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese for a tangier, more substantial salad.
- Swap walnuts for pecans or sliced almonds for a different crunch.
- Stir in a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup with the dressing for a sweeter take that plays up the fruit.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook rice in water according to package directions.
Drain and cool.
Peel kiwi fruit and cut into ¼ inch thick slices.
Cut slices in half to form semi circles.
Core and dice apple into ½ inch cubes.
Toss together rice, kiwifruit, apple, celery, red pepper strips, walnuts, green onions and parsley in salad bowl.
Mix together vinegar and oil.
Drizzle over salad.
Toss to mix well.
Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, to allow flavors to blend, before serving.
Comments
