Curried Brown Rice Salad

4.61 from 41 votes

This easy one-pot cold curried brown rice salad has bright citrus notes and raisins, nuts and cilantro folded in to make a very flavorful side dish.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time1 55

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
½ cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup brown rice
2 ½ cups vegetable broth
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup fresh lemon or lime juice
extra kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
⅓ cup raisins (regular or golden)
⅓ cup chopped nuts (see notes)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (or sub parsley)

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until translucent and tender, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds.
Add curry powder and ground cumin to pan and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. This helps “bloom” the spices, or bring out their flavor.
Add the brown rice and stir to coat with curry powder and oils. Add chicken or vegetable broth, salt and pepper and cayenne pepper (if using). Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer on low for 30-35 minutes, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Let stand, covered, for 5-10 minutes.
Stir in lemon or lime juice and remaining one tablespoon olive oil. Let the rice cool slightly then refrigerate until completely cool, about an hour.
When ready to serve, fluff the rice then stir in raisins, cilantro or parsley and nuts. Taste and adjust seasonings: sometimes I add a little extra lemon or lime juice, salt or pepper.

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Notes

This curried rice is best served chilled, so please plan accordingly to allow it to cool down and spend at least an hour or so in the refrigerator. (That's what the "additional time" is for so you have a heads up.)

Rice: I use and adore brown rice for it's flavor as well as it's nutrition. If you want to use white rice instead, that's fine, just be sure to adjust your cooking time.

Broth: Use vegetable broth if you need to keep this dish vegetarian. Otherwise, chicken broth is fine to use if that's what you have on hand. I do recommend low sodium so you can control the amount of sodium in the recipe. You could also use water but the dish will lose some of its oomph.

Citrus: I've made this with lemon and with lime juice before and I really like it both ways. Use what suits you.

Raisins: I prefer golden raisins in my rice salad but regular would be just fine as well.

Nuts: I tend to use peanuts or walnuts because that's what I always have on hand in my pantry. However, I think slivered almonds or chopped cashews would also be delicious in this salad.

Herbs: I love the pop that the cilantro gives. If you are a hater, feel free to swap in parsley instead.

Leftovers can be stored, in a covered container, in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The nuts might soften and lose their crunch a bit after the first 1-2 days.

Nutrition

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