Crispy rice salad with minty cilantro dressing

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

Salad
3 cups white or brown rice, cooked (~1 cup dry)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 scallions, sliced diagonally
6 oz fresh or frozen shelled English peas
¼ cup cranberries
4 oz sugar snap peas, sliced diagonally
¼ cup roasted shelled pistachios
½ cup feta cheese

Dressing
2 cups mint and/or basil leaves
2 cups cilantro incl. stems, roughly chopped
2 fresh serranos, mostly de-seeded
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 heaping tbsp almond butter
Juice of 2 limes, or to taste
2 tsp salt, to taste
¼ cup water, as needed

Directions

1. Cook rice according to package and let cool covered with a wet cloth.

2. While rice is cooling, prepare the dressing. Place mint, basil, cilantro, jalapenos, olive oil, almond butter lime juice, salt, and water in a tall cup. Using an immersion blender, blend 1-2 minutes from low to high speed until smooth, adding water as needed.

3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil on high heat in a large non-stick frying pan. When tiny bubbles start to appear, add rice to the pan and press into a thin, even layer. Turn heat to medium-low and fry undisturbed for 6-7 minutes.

4. While rice is cooking, slice scallions and snap peas diagonally. When the bottom of the rice is golden, flip the rice over in pockets. Stir in scallions, peas, and raisins. Fry for another 4-5 minutes until peas are bright green and cooked through.

5. Toss rice with dressing and portion into serving bowls. Top with sugar snap peas, pistachios, and feta.

Tips

1. People say day-old rice works best for fried rice, but I can’t think that far ahead. The “rice pancake” method achieves a golden crisp with recently cooked rice, especially if you add a tiny bit less water when cooking the rice.

2. Use whatever you have on hand. No almond butter? Sub miso or tahini. No feta? Use cotija. Got leftover greens? Serve over a bed of arugula.