Delia Smith Rice Salad Recipe

This Delia Smith brown rice salad is dressed with vinaigrette while the grains are still hot, then left to cool before tossing with walnuts, currants, red apple, and crunchy raw vegetables. It serves 4 and takes about an hour, with most of that time the rice looking after itself on the hob.

Delia’s recipe comes from her Complete Illustrated Cookery Course, and I come back to it every summer because it travels well. I take it to picnics in a sealed container and it holds up for hours without wilting or going soggy the way leaf salads do.

More Salad Recipes:

• Potato Salad
• Caesar Salad
• Coleslaw

Why Brown Rice Works Better Than White

White rice turns soft and clumpy in a salad, but brown basmati keeps each grain separate because the bran layer holds its shape even when cold. I tried this once with white basmati and it stuck together into a block overnight.

The other reason is flavour. Brown rice has a nutty taste on its own, so the rice salad recipe does not depend entirely on the dressing to do the work.

Brown Rice Salad Ingredients

The Rice:

• 150ml (5 fl oz) brown basmati rice, measured in a jug
• 300ml (10 fl oz) boiling water
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• Salt

The Salad:

• 15g currants
• 25g walnuts, finely chopped
• 3 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
• 4cm piece of cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped
• Half a small red pepper (capsicum), deseeded and chopped
• Half a red dessert apple, cored and chopped with skin on

The Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette dressing (oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic)
• Freshly milled black pepper

How To Make Delia Smith Brown Rice Salad

1. Toast the rice: Heat the olive oil in a frying pan with a tight-fitting lid. Stir in the rice and turn the grains until they are coated and glistening.
2. Cook: Pour the boiling water over the rice and add salt. Bring back to the boil, stir once, then cover with the lid and simmer on the lowest heat for 40 to 45 minutes.
3. Check: Tilt the pan slightly. If all the water has been absorbed, the rice is ready. If not, give it another 5 minutes.
4. Steam dry: Take the pan off the heat, remove the lid, and cover with a clean tea towel for 2 minutes to absorb the steam.
5. Dress while hot: Tip the rice into a salad bowl and fluff with a fork. Pour the vinaigrette over while the rice is still hot and mix thoroughly.
6. Cool and combine: Leave the dressed rice to get completely cold. Once chilled, stir in the currants, walnuts, spring onions, cucumber, tomato, pepper, and apple. Season with black pepper.

Why Dress the Rice While Hot?

Same principle as Delia’s warm potato salad. Hot grains absorb the vinaigrette into their surface, so the flavour is inside the rice rather than sitting on top of it.

I tested this by dressing half the batch hot and half cold. The cold batch tasted flat even after a night in the fridge, while the hot-dressed half had flavour all the way through.

What To Serve With Rice Salad

I bring this to barbecues and picnics because it does not wilt and sits happily at room temperature for hours. Cold chicken, grilled salmon, or a quiche Lorraine all work well alongside it.

For a buffet spread, I put it next to the fruit salad and a green salad with vinaigrette dressing. The textures are different enough that people go back for both.

How Long Does Rice Salad Keep?

Covered in the fridge, it keeps for up to 3 days, and I often make a full batch on Sunday for packed lunches through the week. The rice firms up slightly overnight but the flavour actually improves.

Do not freeze it. The vegetables go watery and the apple turns brown once thawed.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 220 kcal
• Fat: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 32g
• Fibre: 3g
• Protein: 5g

Nutrition is estimated per serving based on 4 servings.

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• Greek Salad
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