My Version of My Aunties Brown Rice Salad

This post has come about due to seeing a Brown Rice Salad from blogger Lauras Mess. I tried her Roast Zucchini, Rocket and Brown Rice Salad….and wow was it good. It made me think of my Brown Rice Salad and here it is. This recipe is often made by my Aunty at family events – it has featured at Christmas, BBQs, birthday parties and Easters. The first time I tried this salad was at a family Christmas and I remember going back for seconds and proclaiming to my Aunty that I needed the recipe. She kindly gave me the left overs and on Boxing Day it may have been even better.  My Aunty gave me the recipe and over the years I have tinkered with it (speed-eater bf is not a fan of tinkering of any kind – I ruined his Mum’s amazing Spinach Quiche by doing so – big fail). The tinkering has mainly occurred because the health conscious side of me attempts to make my favourites healthier so I can enjoy them regularly. I was astonished when I read this recipe that it had 3/4 of a cup of sunflower oil. I don’t think I have ever made this salad with the recipe specified dressing – the first time I made it I made up the dressing as per the recipe but then could only put half of it on….I just couldn’t do it. 3/4 of a cup of oil is ALOT. So the version of the dressing you will see below is my Aunties version basically halved. I have halved everything (garlic, lemon, soy sauce, salt and pepper) except the oil – for the oil I tend to “only” (still a fair amount in my books) use 1/4 of a cup. Tinker with the recipe yourself… I would love to hear your suggestions on healthier ways of making the dressing without compromising on flavour. As a consequence of reducing the dressing my salad is not as dark in colour as my Aunties (due to the reduced soy sauce I am guessing) but I still happily enjoy this one.

My Version of My Aunties Brown Rice Salad

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 red capsicum, diced

6 spring onions, white part only thinly chopped

1/3 cup currants

1/2 cup of cashews, dry roasted

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, dry roasted

3 tablespoons Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Dressing

1/4 cup sunflower oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 glove of garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place brown rice in a small saucepan with 2 cups of water. Cover the pan with the lid and bring to the boil. Once at a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook over low heat until soft but still with some bite (brown rice always has more of a crunch then white rice). This should take approximately 20 minutes.

2. While rice is cooking, dry roast cashews. You do this by putting cashews in a small saucepan over medium heat. Toss the cashews frequently to ensure even cooking. Keep cashews on the heat until lightly roasted all over.

Follow the same process for the sunflower seeds. The sunflower seeds will cook much quicker than the cashews and will make a popping sound when they are nearly done.

3. Dice your capsicum, slice your spring onion and chop your parsley. When your cashews are cool enough roughly chop them.

4. Make your dressing by combining all ingredients in a screw top jar and shake until combined.

5. When your rice is cooked, drain any excess water and allow to cool.

6. Combine cooled brown rice, capsicum, spring onion, currants and Italian parsley.

7. Just before your ready to serve the salad, add the dressing, sunflower seeds and cashews and stir to combine – this will ensure you still have a nice crunch in your salad.

This salad is wonderful on its own or is perfect for a BBQ. And it is just as good (maybe even better) as leftovers.

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