Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes. Prepare the salad without the avocado, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, fold in the avocado and enjoy.

Why do you salt the cucumber?

This helps to remove excess liquid from the cucumber, which will prevent the salad from getting super soggy. It will also help keep your cucumber nice and crisp in texture.

Is black rice healthy?

Black rice contains a lot of nutrition. It is high in fiber and antioxidants, specifically anthocyanins that give it that rich black/purple hue. Research indicates that this antioxidant may help reduce inflammation, which then helps reduce chronic disease risk.

Orange Miso Black Rice Salad

Description

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.

Ingredients

Scale

Black Rice Salad

1 cup dry black rice
4 Persian cucumbers
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups edamame, thawed
1/3 cup cilantro, minced
1 avocado, cubed

Orange Miso Dressing

2 tsp white miso paste
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated
3 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp chili oil
1 tsp maple syrup

Quick Cabbage Slaw, Optional

1 cup shredded red cabbage
2 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
Kosher salt

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Instructions

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.

Notes

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.

Keywords: black rice salad