As spring makes its welcome return, so does the craving for meals that are light yet satisfying – and our eye candy Mushroom Crispy Rice Salad delivers on all fronts. It’s the kind of dish that fills you up, not out – packed with fresh herbs, crunchy greens, golden crispy rice, and umami-rich mushrooms, all tied together with a punchy dressing.
Perfect as a vibrant main or a standout side, this salad is a celebration of texture, health, and seasonal eating – ideal for spring menus, fun lunches or a weekday dinner
Ingredients:
- Ingredients:
Dressing:
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp hot water
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 2 tsp ginger, grated
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 4 Tbsp rice vinegar
Crispy rice:
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp gochujang*
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 coriander, roughly chopped
- Handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
- 250g white button mushrooms, sliced
- 100g fresh lettuce leaves
- 2 Tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Lime wedges, for serving
Method
Dressing
Whisk peanut butter with hot water, then add remaining ingredients. Adjust seasoning and set aside.
Crispy Rice
Preheat oven to 200˚C. Mix rice with soy sauce, sesame oil, and gochujang until coated. Spread thinly on a lined tray, bake 10 minutes, flip, then bake another 10 minutes until crispy. Cool.
Salad
Mix salad ingredients (except lettuce and peanuts) in a bowl, season, then toss with crispy rice and dressing. Serve on a platter with lettuce leaves, scatter with peanuts, and add lime wedges.
Spring’s Hero Salad: Fresh, Filling and Full of Flavour
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 2 tbsp ginger grated
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame 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.
- 2 spring onions sliced
- 1 ripe avocado diced
- 1 small Merditerranean cucumber diced
- 1 head baby white cabbage very thinly sliced
- 100g steamed broccoli, cooled and finely diced
- handful fresh mint leaves roughly chopped
- 250g white button mushrooms sliced
- 100g fresh lettuce leaves
- 2 tbsp roasted peanuts roughly chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- lime wedges for serving