Curried Brown Rice Salad

• May 01, 2015  |
• by Kirstin Uhrenholdt

Here’s a curried brown rice salad — tart and sweet, crunchy and chewy, all in one bite. Yes, I hear you, you are saying, “Loooook at all those ingredients.” And I am saying it right back at ya, “Look at all those ingredients!” (I sound more excited.)

Chewy healthy brown rice! Delicious Indian aromatics! Crunchy veggies and beautiful sweet-tangy fruit! All in one dish! One dish you can have tonight, and put in lunch boxes tomorrow, and maybe even have a little more later as a snack. Yes! Go on, you can change it to fit your mood. Add carrots, remove the cabbage, throw in some grapes, its all good. Now aren’t you excited too?

Curried Brown Rice Salad

You need:

3 cups short-grained brown rice
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
½ medium sized red onion, diced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced or grated
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons mild (or spicy) Indian curry
10 ounces pressed seasoned tofu (or extra firm tofu), diced
½ English cucumber, deseeded and chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
½ cup dried apricots, chopped
½ cup dried cranberries or cherries, chopped
1 cup sliced cabbage (red, green or Brussels), chopped
½ cup almonds (or your favorite nut) toasted and chopped
1 lime, the zest and juice
A handful of fresh herbs like mint, basil or cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

To make 8-10 servings (enough for today, and tomorrow’s lunch too):

Fill a big pot of water and salt it. Throw in the rice and boil it like pasta until al-dente, 30-40 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water.

Heat up a large skillet and drizzle in enough oil to cover the bottom. When hot, let the onions, garlic and ginger join the sizzle until golden. Add the tofu for a moment, then the curry, stir and turn off the stove. Your kitchen should be smelling pretty wonderful by now.

In a large bowl toss the rice, tofu mixture and the remaining ingredients until all mixed up (if you are doing this in advance, which only makes it better, save the herbs and nuts until the last minute ). Taste the salad for seasonings, make it as sweet, spicy or tart as your family likes.

Decorate a large bowl or platter with a few extra cabbage leaves and pile the salad high atop.