This crispy rice salad is is a vibrant and refreshing dish that combines crunchy baked rice with a medley of fresh vegetables and zesty flavours. The crispy texture of the rice contrasts beautifully with soft, juicy ingredients like cucumbers, edamame beans and avocado. With a tangy, sweet, salty and spicy dressing that adds a beautiful bold and bright kick that helps bring everything together. Finished off with some grated halloumi for protein and garnished with roasted peanuts and fresh coriander. This salad has the perfect balance of crispy, fresh, tangy, and savoury in every bite.
Why I love making this crispy rice salad:
I’ve been meaning to share this crispy rice salad recipe for a while now. I made it a few times over the last couple of months, but just didn’t seem to get the chance to shoot the recipe to share it on here.
Me and my partner both basically grew up on rice. I was born in Iraq where rice is a daily staple. Literally every single day we had rice for lunch. Lunch was considered the main meal of the day and it was ALWAYS cooked from scratch by my mum. It usually consisted of some sort of meat and veggie/bean stew with rice.
My partner on the other hand is a British Bengali who grew up in an immigrant Bengali household. When we first met I very quickly learned that he also ate rice every single day without fail on the side of homemade traditional Bengali curries that his mum would cook (again from scratch!) daily.
So it’s safe to say that rice has a very important and permanent place in our hearts. It features very heavily in our weekly dinners and my boo almost always requests something rice based when I ask him what he’d like for dinner.
Something that neither of us had tired before, however, was crispy rice baked in the oven. I LOVED the idea and knew I had to give it a try asap!
Why you should try this crispy rice salad:
This crispy rice salad is a flavourful, texturally diverse dish made by baking/roasting pre-cooked rice until it’s crispy, then tossing it with a mix of fresh vegetables, herbs, a source of protein, and a tangy, umami dressing. Inspired by Nam Khao – a Southeast Asian/Thai crispy rice salad. The combination of the crispy rice, fresh herbs, and a vibrant dressing makes this salad both satisfying and refreshing. It can be served as an appetiser or a light main dish.
Flavour Balance: There’s a balanced combination of sweet, salty, sour, and spicy elements, creating a well-rounded taste experience. The tangy lime dressing, herbs, and spices make every bite exciting.
Freshness: With an abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables, it feels light and refreshing, perfect for a healthy meal that doesn’t compromise on flavour.
Versatile: It can be customised to suit your preferences. Add your favourite protein like chicken, tofu, or prawns, and adjust the spice level to your liking.
Healthy but Satisfying: It’s both nutritious and filling, making it a great option for a wholesome yet indulgent meal.
What you need to make this crispy rice salad:
Crispy Rice: Leftover jasmine rice is usually used, but I like to use basmati rice. Mixed with Thai red curry paste and a bit of oil, then baked until crispy. I prefer using microwave rice packs as it’s already pre-cooked and one less step for me to make this recipe.
Protein: You can add any protein you like such as pre-cooked chicken, prawns or tofu. I used for halloumi that I grated, then cooked in a simple spicy sriracha sauce to add a bit of heat.
Vegetables & herbs: Went with thawed frozen edamame, cucumber, spring onions, avocado and coriander. The different components to this salad add so much freshness as well as so many different flavours and textures.
Dressing: The dressing is a simple mixture of soy sauce, garlic, lemon juice, maple syrup and sesame oil to create a zesty umami taste that’s balanced with a bit of sweetness.
Toppings: Roasted peanuts and fresh coriander enhance the crunch and provide extra flavour.
How to make this crispy rice salad:
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Preheat oven to 220C/200C fan/400F.
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Spread the pre-cooked rice on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add the curry paste and oil, and mix well making sure all the rice is evenly coated.
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Bake for 20-40 minutes or until the rice is nice and crispy. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn. Leave to cool completely.
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Grate the halloumi, then add to a dry pan and cook over a medium heat until it starts to brown. Mix the halloumi sauce ingredients in a glass/mug, then pour over the pan. Continue cooking until the halloumi has absorbed most of the sauce.
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To assemble the salad – add the rice, edamame beans, cucumber, spring onions, coriander and avocado to a large bowl.
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Mix the dressing ingredients together, then pour over the salad. Give it a good toss, then top with the grated halloumi, another sprinkle of coriander and chopped peanuts. Give everything a final toss and enjoy!
How to store your crispy rice salad:
This crispy rice salad is best served immediately for the best crunch. You can store leftovers in the fridge, however the rice will start to lose its crunchiness and become more chewy. It still tastes amazing, but the texture is slightly different.
This crispy rice salad is:
- Vegetarian
- Can be made gluten-free (use tamari instead of soy sauce)
- Can be made nut-free (leave out the peanuts)
- Delicious
- Fresh
- Packed with so many flavours
- Packed with so many different textures
- Easily adjusted to likes/dietary preferences
- Perfect to enjoy at any season
- So tasty!
Crispy Rice Salad
Ingredients
For the crispy rice
- 2x 250g microwave basmati rice packs or 500g pre-cooked rice
- 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
For the halloumi
- 225g Halloumi
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Dressing
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Other ingredients
- 250g frozen edamame thawed
- 1/2 cucumber chopped
- 3 spring onions finely chopped
- 1 large avocado chopped into cubes
- 30g fresh coriander chopped
- 4 tbsp salted roasted peanuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220C/200C fan/400F.
- Spread the pre-cooked rice on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add the curry paste and oil, and mix well making sure all the rice is evenly coated.
- Bake for 20-40 minutes or until the rice is nice and crispy. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn. Leave to cool completely.
- Grate the halloumi, then add to a dry pan and cook over a medium heat until it starts to brown. Mix the halloumi sauce ingredients in a glass/mug, then pour over the pan. Continue cooking until the halloumi has absorbed most of the sauce.
- To assemble the salad - add the rice, edamame beans, cucumber, spring onions, coriander and avocado to a large bowl.
- Mix the dressing ingredients together, then pour over the salad. Give it a good toss, then top with the grated halloumi, another sprinkle of coriander and chopped peanuts. Give everything a final toss and enjoy!
Nutrition
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