Herbal Rice Salad with Peanuts Recipe
An herb-packed rice salad recipe with peanuts, toasted coconut, and a strong boost of fresh lime. A recipe to keep in your back pocket this summer.
Hi friends - I'm back from New York, and excited to be back in my own kitchen. I miss it when I travel! This was first up, and I'm telling you, you're going to want to keep this herb-packed rice salad in your back pocket this summer. It's for those occasions when basil, and mint, and cilantro are booming in your garden, or at the market. And it's a great way to use leftover rice (or other favorite grain). I'm not shy with the amount of herbs I use in relation to the quantity of rice here, and I also like to deploy a generous amount of toasted coconut and peanuts. A bold boost of lime pulls everything together and keeps it all bright.
A couple side notes - aside from the chopping of the herbs, you can prep the components of this salad a couple of days ahead of time - rice, coconut, peanuts. I like to make it with brown jasmine rice, but it might also be nice with any number of other grains - farro or quinoa come to mind.
I make note of this in the recipe below, but adding roasted cherry tomatoes later in the year, when they're in season, will really take this over the top in a great way. Enjoy!
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Herbal Rice Salad with Peanuts
When they're in season, roast halved cherry tomatoes, and add them to the salad just before serving. *You can use whatever rice you have on hand, but I like to use the wonderfully fragrant brown jasmine rice for this salad.
4 cups cooked rice, room-temperature*
1 cup toasted coconut
1 cup chopped, toasted peanuts3/4 loosely packed cup of EACH of the following: mint, basil, & cilantro leaves
2 small shallots, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or more to taste
fine grain sea salt, to taste1 garlic clove
1 cup plain yogurt
Ideally, you're going to want to toss this salad, just before serving. It keeps the herbs bright, and green. In a large bowl, combine the rice, coconut, peanuts, mint, basil, cilantro, and shallots. Season with the lime juice, and salt. Toss again.
Mash the garlic clove into a paste with a generous pinch of salt. Whisk the salted garlic into the yogurt, and drizzle generously over the salad, serving the rest on the side.
Serves 6.
Prep time: 10 minutes
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simply the best! I have been making this for years. Sometimes I sub coconut cream or coconut yogurt if I have a guest who does not eat dairy.
Would love your recommendation for a vegan, unyogourt version Heidi ♡
Love this recipe! I keep coming back to it. It's great to make in bulk and eat for lunch the next few days. Also great for picnics!
I really enjoyed the inspiration of this. I added some chopped celery and chopped carrots. Didn't have peanuts so used some walnuts. Me and my husband and four year olds loved it. Planning to do more dinners like this this summer.
This looks amazing and so satisfying. I'm a very big rice fan so any excuse :-) I haven't seen brown Jasmine rice in the UK so I'll keep an eye out but sure it would be lovely with basmati too.
Such a humble yet exiting salad! I love salads that don't require looking like a giraffe when eating it, hah, this looks right up my street! And toasted coconut and peanuts......Yum! x
Thank you as it looks and sounds delicious! Also love how easy it is to make when so many of us are short on time these days. Congratulations on the James Beard award, my copy sits on display in my kitchen for friends and family to fawn over when they visit. Well done.
Perfect idea for everything coming into season right now! Simple, delicious and customizable.
This looks like such a great side dish! Going to bring it to parties this summer. Thank you !
I discovered Calamanzi, a small but pungent citrus with one fat seed and lots of juice, when I lived in Honolulu. Occasionally one can find fresh ones in Hispanic or Asian markets. (still looking for sources in SF, LA, east coast) I got them in Chinatown in Honolulu. It's a wonderful change-up from lime.
I make a similar salad (grain + veggies + herbs) a couple of times a week, but I've gotten into a rut of doing the same combinations. This is going to be a refreshing variation on a favorite!
I look forward to having a variation of this all summer. If you are lucky enough to have access to lots of Asian herbs (Thai and Vietnamese mint, basil, coriander, etc.), pile them in! It is a nice accompaniment to fish or tofu.
This is brilliant. It looks like an ideal lunch for the hot, lazy days that are coming our way.
I love how many herbs this salad uses, they are getting gorgeous now!
Love these kind of salads Heidi and so perfect for work - certainly no sad desk lunch if you take a salad like this to work! Congratulations too on the James Beard Award for Near and Far - the photography in that book really is beautiful.
Many congratulations on your James Beard award for Near and Far!
I love to travel, but also miss my kitchen when I do! Always a great feeling to whip up a nice meal upon the return - this rice salad looks so fresh, must have been lovely to settle back in with a meal like this!
I love so much herbs! I'll miss cilantro in the next weeks - I'm going back to Italy for the promotional tour of my upcoming cookbook! - but hopefully my mum still has some basil plants bacony :D