This Crispy Rice Salad is a vibrant and refreshing dish that combines crispy baked rice with a blend of fresh vegetables and tangy flavors. The crispy texture of the rice contrasts beautifully with the soft, juicy ingredients like cucumbers, edamame beans and avocado. With a tangy, sweet, salty and spicy dressing that adds a nice bold and bright touch that helps bring everything together. Finished with grated halloumi for protein and garnished with roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro. This salad has the perfect balance of crispy, fresh, tangy and flavorful in every bite.
Why I love making this crispy salad rice:
I’ve been wanting to share this crispy rice salad recipe for a while. I’ve made this several times over the past couple months, but just haven’t had a chance to film the recipe to share here.
My partner and I both grew up eating rice. I was born in Iraq, where rice is a daily staple. Literally every day we ate rice for lunch. Lunch was considered the main meal of the day and was ALWAYS prepared from scratch by my mother. It was usually some sort of meat and vegetable/bean stew with rice.
My partner, on the other hand, is a British Bengali who grew up in a family of Bengali immigrants. When we first met, I quickly learned that he also ate rice every day, without fail, as an accompaniment to traditional homemade Bengali curries that his mother cooked (again from scratch!) daily.
It is therefore safe to say that rice occupies a very important and permanent place in our hearts. It features very heavily in our weekly dinners and my buddy almost always requests something with rice when I ask him what he would like for dinner.
However, something neither of us had gotten tired of before was the crispy baked rice. I loved the idea and knew I had to try it ASAP!
Why you should try this crispy salad rice:
This Crispy Rice Salad is a flavorful dish with varied textures, made by cooking/roasting pre-cooked rice until crispy, then tossing it with a blend of fresh vegetables, herbs, a source of protein and a tangy umami vinaigrette. Inspired by the flavors of Southeast Asia and Thailand. The combination of crispy rice, fresh herbs, and a vibrant dressing makes this salad both satisfying and refreshing. It can be served as a starter or a light main course.
Here’s why you should try this crispy rice salad:
Texture: The contrast between crispy, crunchy rice and fresh, juicy vegetables creates a satisfying, unique and pleasant mouthfeel.
Balance of flavors: There is a balanced combination of sweet, salty, sour and spicy elements, creating a well-balanced taste experience. Zesty lime dressing, herbs and spices make every bite exciting.
Freshness: With an abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables, it’s light and refreshing, perfect for a healthy meal that doesn’t compromise on flavor.
Versatile: It can be customized according to your preferences. Add your favorite proteins like chicken, tofu or shrimp and adjust the spice level to your liking.
Healthy but satisfying: It is both nutritious and filling, making it a great option for a meal that is both healthy and indulgent.
What you need to make this crispy rice salad:
Crispy rice: Leftover jasmine rice is usually used, but I like to use basmati rice. Mixed with Thai red curry paste and a little oil, then baked until crispy. I prefer to use microwave rice packets because it is already precooked and one less step for me to make this recipe.
protein: You can add any protein you like like pre-cooked chicken, shrimp or tofu. I used halloumi that I grated, then cooked in a simple spicy sriracha sauce to add a little heat.
Vegetables and herbs: I went with thawed frozen edamame, cucumber, spring onions, avocado and cilantro. The different components of this salad add so much freshness and so many different flavors and textures.
bandage: The dressing is a simple blend of soy sauce, garlic, lemon juice, maple syrup and sesame oil to create a tangy umami taste balanced with a bit of sweetness.
Toppings: Roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro enhance the crunch and provide additional flavor.
How to make this crispy rice salad:
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Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/400F.
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Spread the precooked rice on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add the curry paste and oil and mix well, making sure all the rice is evenly coated.
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Bake for 20 to 40 minutes or until the rice is nice and crispy. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn. Let cool completely.
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Grate the halloumi, then add it to a dry pan and cook over medium heat until it begins to brown. Mix the halloumi sauce ingredients in a glass/cup, then pour onto the pan. Continue cooking until the halloumi has absorbed most of the sauce.
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To assemble the salad – add the rice, edamame beans, cucumber, spring onions, cilantro and avocado to a large bowl.
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Mix the dressing ingredients, then pour over the salad. Mix well, then garnish with grated halloumi, another pinch of coriander and chopped peanuts. Give everything one last shot and enjoy!
How to store your crispy rice salad:
This crispy rice salad is best served immediately for added crunch. You can store leftovers in the refrigerator, but the rice will start to lose its crunch and become chewier. The taste is still delicious, but the texture is slightly different.
This crispy rice salad is:
- Vegetarian
- Can be made gluten-free (use tamari instead of soy sauce)
- Can be prepared without nuts (omit peanuts)
- Delicious
- Costs
- Filled with so much flavor
- Packed with so many different textures
- Easily adaptable to tastes/food preferences
- Perfect to enjoy in any season
- So tasty!
Crispy Rice Salad
This Crispy Rice Salad is a vibrant and refreshing rice dish that combines crispness with a blend of fresh vegetables and tangy flavors. The crisp texture of the rice contrasts beautifully with the soft, juicy ingredients like cucumbers, edamame beans and avocado. With a tangy, sweet, salty and spicy dressing that adds a nice bold and bright touch that helps bring everything together. Finished with grated halloumi for protein and garnished with roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro. This salad has the perfect balance of crispy, fresh, tangy and flavorful in every bite.
Ingredients
For the crispy rice
- 2x 250g microwave basmati rice packets or 500g of pre-cooked rice
- 2 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil
For the halloumi
- 225g Halloumi
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove ax
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
bandage
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Other ingredients
- 250g frozen edamame thawed
- 1/2 cucumber ax
- 3 spring onions finely chopped
- 1 big avocado cut into cubes
- 30g fresh coriander ax
- 4 tablespoon salted roasted peanuts ax
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/400F.
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Spread the precooked rice on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add the curry paste and oil and mix well, making sure all the rice is evenly coated.
-
Bake for 20 to 40 minutes or until the rice is nice and crispy. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn. Let cool completely.
-
Grate the halloumi, then add it to a dry pan and cook over medium heat until it begins to brown. Mix the halloumi sauce ingredients in a glass/cup, then pour onto the pan. Continue cooking until the halloumi has absorbed most of the sauce.
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To assemble the salad, add the rice, edamame beans, cucumber, spring onions, cilantro, and avocado to a large bowl.
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Mix the dressing ingredients, then pour over the salad. Mix well, then garnish with grated halloumi, another pinch of coriander and chopped peanuts. Give everything one last shot and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 571kilocaloriesCarbohydrates: 47GProtein: 22GFat: 33GSaturated fat: 11GPolyunsaturated fats: 5GMonounsaturated fat: 15GSodium: 1168mgPotassium: 684mgFiber: 7GSugar: 7GVitamin A: 1925UIVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 551mgIron: 3mg
