Cold Rice Salad

Rice is an extremely versatile grain. One of the more unusual ways of using rice is in a cold salad.


When making the salad, I like to use an Italian style rice. Italian rice is usually a short grain variety of rice, as seen below.

Now, I normally steam my rice. Italians, on the other hand, think rice is pasta and for this reason, they tend to boil their rice.


When preparing rice, using the boiling method, fill a pot with water and season it generously with salt. I also like to add a few drops of olive oil to the mix, as I would with preparing water for pasta.


Bring the liquid to a boil and add the rice. Gently stir intermittently throughout the cooking process.


Rice normally takes about 15 minutes to steam. However, I find that when boiling rice it takes a couple of minutes longer. Just check the rice at around the 15-minute mark to see how much more time it requires.


Italian style rice, as you can see below, is extremely starchy.

Simply drain the water from the rice using a colander. Once drained, run cold water over the rice to stop the cooking process. (This is a cold rice salad. So, you want your rice to be cold.)

Now that you have your cold rice prepared, it is now time to add the other ingredients.

Sliced green olives are a must.

Cooked vegetables also go well. I had some cooked green peas and butternut squash ready, so in it went! Other cooked vegetables also work great. Some ideas can include:
- roasted peppers
- sautéed onions
- cooked mushrooms
- roasted garlic
- steamed/boiled corn
- grilled zucchini


For the protein, I had some left over to tilapia. Under normal circumstances, I would use canned tuna. (Either the "in-oil" or "in-water" varieties work just fine.)

I also like to add fresh vegetables to the mix, for a crunch. I checked my refrigerator and I had some radishes and celery. Other fresh vegetables you could use could include:

- carrots

- bell peppers

- green onions

- fennel

Once you have all of your ingredients in the bowl, it will be time to add the seasonings.

I like to use oregano and dried chili flakes. (The chili flakes can be omitted.) Fresh parsley or cilantro could also be added very easily, instead of oregano. Given that this dish is a salad, I like to dress it with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

Mix up all of the ingredients and you will have a fresh cold rice salad to use as an amazing side dish to any main course.

As this is a cold salad, you can prepare it well in advance. The flavours will actually intensify the longer it sits!