Best Budget-Friendly Rice Salad
If rice salad is an easy recipe to prepare, it is essential to choose the right rice and seasoning so as not to spoil everything. Discover all our tips to succeed every time and our ideas to bring it a touch of originality.
Nothing is simpler than rice salad? However, a good salad should guarantee good cooking of the rice, a balance between the basic ingredient and the other ingredients, as well as a sauce at the top! To make it a success, discover our tips and tricks.
Rice salad is one of the star dishes of the summer! In addition to being easy and cheap, this recipe that can be enjoyed cold has the advantage of being able to be prepared in advance. It is, therefore, an ally of large tables and barbecues with family or friends. But if the rice salad goes perfectly with our grills and skewers, it can also be a complete dish on its own. Convenient to carry, this is the perfect meal for a picnic.
How many ingredients to add to my salad
Like pasta salad, rice salad is a catch-all recipe. You can decorate your rice base with raw or cooked vegetables, proteins (chicken, canned tuna, cold cuts...), or cheese. Do not hesitate to slip the remains of your fridge. However, avoid incorporating more than 5 different ingredients.
Which rice to choose for my salad and how much rice per person
Count 50 to 75 g of raw rice per person. Ideally, choose long-grain rice (Thai or Basmati) or brown rice. Be aware that it is not necessary to rinse them before cooking. They contain almost no starch and therefore do not stick. Once your rice is ready, let it cool well in the strainer before pouring it into a bowl and adding the rest of the ingredients. You can seed the rice using a fork if necessary.
How to season a rice salad well
There's nothing like a good dressing to season and bind all the ingredients of a salad. Avoid creamy preparations such as mayonnaise that may clump the rice grains together and make your salad pasty. Traditional seasonings are preferred: oil and vinegar. Choose them according to the ingredients that make up your salad.
- 300 grams rice
- 200 grams tuna in oil
- 200 grams peas
- 200 grams corn (canned)
- 3 carrots
- 150 grams cherry tomatoes
- 150 grams Emmental
- 150 grams cooked ham
- 3 eggs
- olive oil
- salt
To prepare the classic rice salad, start cooking the peas by scalding them in boiling water. When they are ready, drain them and let them cool.
Meanwhile, also cook the rice, drain it al dente and pass it under cold water to stop cooking and cool it.
While cooking the rice, prepare all the ingredients you will need to prepare your salad: cut the carrots into strips and then into cubes, cut the tomatoes into quarters and again into small pieces, cut the olives into slices and drain the corn.
When all the ingredients are ready you can proceed with the preparation of the salad. Put the rice in a bowl, add the vegetables and other ingredients (except eggs). Sprinkle with a drizzle of olive oil and mix well.
Your rice salad is ready, serve it with boiled eggs in slices or wedges.