This Brown Rice Salad looks way too healthy to taste as good as it does! The fresh dill and coriander/cilantro with the bright lemon dressing totally makes it. The perfectly cooked, nutty brown rice helps. Everything else is customisable.
You didn’t really think I’d share a rather dull (but life essential) post for how to cook brown rice without following it up with an extremely delicious way to use it, did you??
Brown Rice Salad
This is a Brown Rice Salad that aspires to be everything you expect a rice salad to be (healthy, filling, fresh) and everything you don’t expect it to be (can’t-stop-eating-it-good).
It’s also a rice salad that will surprise those of you who grew up not realising such a thing existed. (Pretty sure that would be anyone with Asian parents 🙋🏻♀️).
It is very, very good. It’s fresh, juicy, bright, and really makes the most of the addictive nutty, slightly chewy texture of brown rice though it can be made with any type of cooked rice, or other grains for that matter (farro, pearl barley, tiny or giant couscous).
Ingredients in Brown Rice Salad
Here’s what I put into this brown rice salad – though you’ll see an extensive list of customisation suggestions below!
Brown rice – only perfectly cooked brown rice allowed in these parts! No mushiness permitted 😉. Alternatives: any rice – normal or fancy (white, jasmine, basmati, wild etc), quinoa, and anything rice-like shaped such as farro, pearl barley, couscous;
Cucumber & tomato – the freshness and juiciness;
Red onion – welcome sharp bite. Alternatives: green onion, Eschallots/French shallots;
Dill and coriander – one of the best fresh herb combinations for salads, in my humble opinion. I use it regularly – such as in this Pearl Couscous Salad and JP’s Iceberg Lettuce Salad; and
Rocket / Arugula – I really like adding a bit of green fluffage into any starch based salad. For interest, extra freshness and to add a different textural element. Alternatives: any sliceable leafy greens – baby or normal spinach, kale (marinate it to make it softer), cabbage).
Customise the vegetables with any raw or cooked vegetables you want (diced and sautéed in a little oil perhaps with some garlic, or roasted – try Roasted Eggplant. It’s amazing!).
Optional Extras
You’ll see in the video and photos that I’ve also included black olives which I consider an optional extra for this Mediterranean themed version of this rice salad. I don’t always include it – the above ingredients are my base version.
It’s also shown topped with crispy golden slices of halloumi. Adding some pan-kissed cheese is a seriously delicious way to elevate this salad to show-off status (not unlike a French Warm Goat’s Cheese Salad) or, you know, just treat yourself 😂).
Lemon Dressing Ingredients
And here’s what goes into the lemon dressing: lemon juice, garlic, mustard (for thickening), extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
How to make this Brown Rice Salad
I always feel like I’m teaching you how to suck eggs when I show the process photos for a salad! 😂 But I do think it’s a useful one-pager to show how this comes together. For all those times you don’t have 90 seconds to watch the recipe video!
Elevate it to meal status
I know I said the crispy golden halloumi is optional, but everytime I see a photo of it, I want to take it back and make it part of the base recipe!
The only reason why I won’t is because I like that this salad is interesting and fresh enough to be a side salad OR a meal.
Also, even if you don’t happen to have a block of halloumi in your fridge waiting to pan fry to golden perfection, there’s plenty of other ways to elevate it to meal status:
Crumble of feta
Sprinkle of parmesan
Dollop of yogurt
Nuts – try flaked almonds (toasted), or walnuts, pepitas, sunflowers, cashews, pistachios, pine nuts
Can of tuna, salmon or other fish
Sliced poached chicken (super juicy even fridge cold if you use this method)
Any other cooked protein that takes your fancy
What to serve with this Brown Rice Salad
This is a wonderful two-in-one side salad for meals (ie starch + veg in one dish) but interesting and colourful enough to stand on its own as a light meal or as part of a lunch spread. Here are a few suggestions:
Mains for warm summer nights
Quick meals
Salads for sharing – lunch with friends
Enjoy! – Nagi x
PS Ah, I just remembered! A few years ago, I also shared a Cowboy Rice Salad. Fun name. Delicious to eat!
Watch how to make it
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Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad
Ingredients
Salad (Note 1):
- 3 cups cooked brown rice , cooled but not cold
- 2 tomatoes , diced
- 2 cucumbers , diced (or 1 long English/continental cucumber)
- 1/2 red onion , chopped (sub 2 stems green onion)
- 40g/ 4 cups tightly packed baby rocket/arugula , roughly chopped (or baby spinach)
- 1/3 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , roughly chopped (Note 2)
- 1/3 cup fresh dill leaves , roughly chopped (Note 2)
Lemon Dressing:
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic cloves , minced using garlic press
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (Note 3)
- 3/4 tsp salt , kosher/cooking salt (1/2 tsp table salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Optional extras (pictured):
- 1/2 cup black olive slices
- 200g/7oz halloumi , sliced then pan fried in a little olive oil until golden and crispy
- Other topping options: feta, parmesan, nuts (Note 4)
Instructions
- Place Dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine.
- Place Salad ingredients in a big bowl. Drizzle over Dressing, toss well.
- Transfer to serving bowl. If using Halloumi, pile on top.
- Serve!
Recipe Notes:
- parsley or chives and dill
- chives and parsley
- just coriander/cilantro or dill (double up)
- 2 1/2 tsp oregano (add to dressing – will taste like a Greek Salad!)
- 2 tsp dried mixed herbs, or other dried herbs of choice
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
This guy really, REALLY doesn’t like cucumber…..
This looks so delicious and I can’t wait to try it because I recently had a disappointing experience cooking brown rice in a rice cooker. Do you have any tips on how you get your haloumi so deliciously crisp and golden looking? Mine can sometimes seem a bit rubbery. Slicing it thinly perhaps? Dozer looks very impressed!
Hi Lulu, you’ll love this salad! Cooking halloumi just required this slices over a medium heat without moving until beautifully golden – that’s all there is too it! N x
Methinks we live about 120 kms apart in a straight line ? Are you hearing the loud ‘yes’ coming from the Highlands ? I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner any day . . . well, I always have but yours is a better version than my current one! I love both coriander and dill but have not oft put them together – shall try ! I happily eat black olives – they have usually not ended up in my rice salad either . And I adore both Israeli couscous and barley . . . with temperatures well into the 20s they will alternate with brown rice !! Fabulous . . . Methinks darling Dozer still has a few days to go to his naughty boy status . . . a soft belly rub BUT, Nagi, let his manhood shine: he does not need doggie version budgie smugglers !!!
Hi Eha, yes I love the idea of couscous and barley in this one too! I think I’ll give it a go!
Do you think Dozer would like a pair of budgie smugglers printed with his own head on them ?? 🤔😂 N x
*grin* You are ‘G’ rated methinks and I’d hate to be an embarrassment answering in ‘M’ tones . . . but he might look quite the
‘big boy’ he is were he allowed some temporary advantages ! I mean I hate A. but still took a look when he exited the ocean waves !!!