Orange Miso Black Rice Salad

This Black Rice Salad is loaded with crispy veggies and tossed with a sweet and savory orange miso dressing. Hearty and perfect to prep for your next lunch.

Salads that don’t feel like salads are my favorite and this one is easy for meal prep and a great lunch option. So let’s bridge the gap between summer and fall with this tasty salad that also happens to help get in some extra gut health love.

Why You’ll Love This Black Rice Salad

• Easy to make. The only thing needing cooking is the rice. Just add everything to a bowl and toss together for a delicious and hearty salad.
• Not the typical salad. Using rice as the base and filling in with extra fresh veggies helps to make this a more hearty and satisfying meal.
• High in fiber. Using whole grain rice along with a lot of hearty vegetables helps to amp up the amount of fiber in this whole bowl to help support and feed our gut microbes.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

• Black Rice: I used a variety by the brand Lotus Foods, their Forbidden Rice. You can swap for quinoa if not a fan of rice.
• Cucumbers: I used Persian cucumbers, but this also works with English cucumbers.
• Scallions: Gives a nice mild onion flavor. A good alternative for scallions are shallots.
• Edamame: A great high protein option. You can swap with some crispy chickpeas for another layer of crunch if preferred or serve with some baked tofu.
• Cilantro: Adds lovely freshness to the salad, but feel free to use fresh parsley or a combination of parsley and basil if desired.
• Avocado: Adds a lovely creamy element, feel free to omit if desired.
• Miso Paste: I used white miso paste, but yellow miso paste works too!
• Aromatics: I used a combination of garlic and ginger. Feel free to increase or lower based on your taste preference.
• Orange: I used a combination of orange juice and zest. You can also use limes as a fun twist on this. If using limes, feel free to increase the amount of sweetener as needed to adjust.
• Rice Wine Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is a great substitute.
• Oils: Use what you like, but for flavor I used toasted sesame oil and chili oil for the dressing.
• Maple Syrup: Helps to balance out some of the savory elements in the dressing. You can use agave syrup or your favorite liquid sweetener as an alternative.
• Red cabbage: Green cabbage or shredded brussels sprouts works equally well.

How to Make Orange Miso Black Rice Salad

Cook the black rice according to package instructions. For reference, this is what I did. Place the rice in a sauce pan with 1 3/4 cup water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to the lowest heat then cover and cook for 30 mins. Once cooked, remove from heat and allow to sit 10 mins before fluffing with a rice paddle or fork. Set aside covered to cool.

While the rice cooks, cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and place them cut side down on a cutting board. Using the flat side of your knife, smack the cucumbers to split them, then roughly chop them. Transfer the cucumbers to a mesh strainer over a large bowl and sprinkle with some salt then set aside to draw out excess moisture.

Add the cooled rice to a mixing bowl. Discard the cucumber water and add the cucumbers to the mixing bowl along with the scallions, edamame, cilantro and avocado.

Prep the dressing by adding all the ingredients to a small jar. Seal and shake vigorously until emulsified. Pour the dressing over the salad, then toss to combine.

To a separate bowl, add the cabbage, cilantro, vinegar, sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Massage the ingredients into the cabbage until it starts to soften.

Serve a portion of the rice salad topped with a handful of the slaw and enjoy.

Expert Tips

• Add the avocado before serving. If you want to make the salad ahead of time, wait to add the avocado until you are ready to serve and enjoy. Avocado oxidizes as it sits, so this will help keep your salad longer.
• Change up the dressing to your preference. If you don’t have oranges available, try this dressing using lime zest and juice instead.
• Switch up the rice. Feel free to use a rice you like as a substitute. Sushi rice, brown rice or quinoa can all be used as an alternative.

Frequently Asked Questions

Recipe Variations

Customize your meal to fit your specific food preferences or to change it up and keep it interesting!

• Swap the edamame. Try this with roasted chickpeas or baked tofu.
• Choose some different vegetables. Instead of cabbage, try shredded brussels sprouts or swap entirely for some thinly sliced snap peas or shredded carrots.
• Change up the dressing. Make it lime flavored using fresh lime zest and juice or use a sesame ginger base to change up the flavors.

More Rice Recipes

• Crispy Rice Bowl with Hummus and Roasted Lentils
• Herby Rice Salad with Crispy Za’atar Chickpeas
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• 15 Minute Mushroom Fried Rice
• Mango Chickpea Salad

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★ Catherine

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