It’s that in-between season where the evenings turn just a touch cooler as we experience that definite shift away from the brightness of summer to something more cozy and comforting.
And, whilst we are still in a salad mood, we’re thinking they should add extra depth of flavour, a nutritional boost, a sense of fullness and a punch of crunch.
Needless to say our scrumptious Mushroom and Crispy Rice Salad is the one we turn to. It’s the perfect side dish, can double up as a light lunch and the flavoursome dressing makes it one of our favourite salad picks.
Sautéed Mushroom and Crispy Rice Medley
World Happiness Day is on 20th March – Here's a Autumn Salad that will brighten up your day
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 2 tbsps peanut butter
- 2 tbsps hot water
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 2 tsp ginger grated
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsps rice vinegar
Crispy rice:
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesami oil
- 2 tbsp gochujang*
*Gochujang is a spicy, fermented chilli paste used in Korean cuisine. It is readily available at all Asian supermarkets as well as Woolworths, Checkers, Yuppiechef and a lot of online retailers e.g. Faithful to Nature.
Salad:
- 2 spring onions sliced
- 1 ripe avocado diced
- 1 small Mediterranean cucumber diced
- 1 head baby white cabbage very thinly sliced
- 100g steamed broccoli cooled and finely diced
- handful fresh mint leaves roughly chopped
- handful of coriander roughly chopped
- 250g white button mushrooms sliced
- 100g fresh lettuce leaves
- 2 tbsps roasted peanuts roughly chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- lime wedges for serving
Instructions
For the Dressing:
- Combine the peanut butter and hot water and whisk.Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.Taste to adjust seasoning and then set aside until serving.
For the crispy rice:
Preheat oven to 200˚C.
- Place cooked rice in a bowl with the soy sauce, sesame oil and gochujang.Mix the seasoning thoroughly into the rice with your hands so every grain is covered.
- Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper.Spread the rice out in a thin layer.
- Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper.Spread the rice out in a thin layer.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then agitate, flipping the rice over to evenly brown all the grains.Bake for another 10 minutes until brown and crispy.
- Set aside to cool.
For the salad:
- Combine all of the salad ingredients except for the lettuce leaves and peanuts together in a large bowl.Season with a little salt and pepper, mix.Add the crispy rice and pour over the dressing.Toss to mix well.
- Assemble dressed salad on a large serving platter.Plate lettuce leaves alongside the chopped salad.Scatter with peanuts and serve with lime wedges on the side and enjoy!
The South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association (SAMFA) is the leading mushroom industry body in South Africa.
SAMFA is funded by its members who are mostly mushroom growers, industry suppliers and trade alliances.
