Persian-Inspired Rice Salad
A colourful and flavourful Persian-inspired salad filled with fresh herbs and toasted nuts, perfect for springtime entertaining.
Servings: 6-8
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 15 minutes, plus cooling time
Cooking Time: 12 minutes
Gluten-free
Ingredients
1 packet of Persian rice
3 cups of water
1 diced red onion
½ diced cucumber
1/3 cup of cranberries
½ cup of toasted and roughly chopped blanched hazelnuts
Small bunches of fresh dill, mint, and parsley, chopped
Juice of one lemon
4 tablespoons of olive oil
½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper
½ teaspoon of cumin
200g crumbled feta cheese
Extra fresh herbs for serving
Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
Empty the dry rice packet into a pan and give it a quick stir to ensure everything is well mixed.
Add 3 cups of water and place the pan over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Reduce the heat and simmer with a lid on for 10-12 minutes.
Once the rice is cooked, remove it from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, fluff it up with a fork and transfer it onto a large plate in an even layer. Chill it in the fridge.
While the rice is cooling, prepare the other salad ingredients.
Once the rice is cooled, transfer it to a large bowl. Add the diced onion, cucumber, cranberries, hazelnuts, and fresh herbs.
Pour lemon juice and olive oil over the salad. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cumin. Gently toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Top the salad with crumbled feta and additional fresh herbs.
Serve the Persian-inspired rice salad with lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Hints & tips
Easy swaps/ add ins – This salad can be packed out with any other veggies you like – Roasted pumpkin or sweet potato would be a great addition.
Parsley could be swapped for coriander for a different flavouring.
Hazel nuts could be swapped for toasted almonds or extra pistachios.
Fetta could be swapped for goats’ cheese for a stronger flavour – dill infused goats cheese would be a good choice.
Serving suggestion – Serve this Persian inspired rice salad along side your favourite protein. It is a large salad great for sharing with friends and family.
Portion size – It is a large salad that serves 6-8. Make for a family dinner and use the leftovers for lunches for the week.
Alternatively, you can half the ingredients and save half a packet of this Persian flavoured rice for another time.
Storage – Store in the fridge for 4 days. Not suitable for freezing.
