I needed a salad for a Father’s Day picnic yesterday, and I kept envisioning something with rice and broccoli in a sesame dressing. I looked around for a recipe but couldn’t find one, so I wound up throwing this together. It turned out pretty well, if I do say so!
I used a combination of black glutinous rice and brown rice, but it would taste just as good with straight brown rice. I also used seasoned rice vinegar, which contains some sugar and salt. If you’re cutting down on either of those ingredients, you can use regular rice vinegar and just add sweetener and salt to taste.
Broccoli Rice Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing
(serves 6-8 as a side dish)
1 cup uncooked rice
1 pound broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. water
2 tsp. ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
Cook the rice in whatever way you choose. I cooked it in the rice cooker with a few drops of sesame oil. Since I used half glutinous black rice, mine turned out very sticky, so I rinsed it in a colander. If you use just brown or white rice, you shouldn’t have to rinse it. Just set it aside to cool.
Steam the broccoli until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add it and the chopped red pepper and almonds to the cooled rice.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a measuring cup or small mixing bowl. Pour over the rice mixture and toss to combine. Refrigerate until completely chilled.
Notes for next time: If I make this again, I think I’ll increase the amount of rice slightly and cut the broccoli into smaller florets. Some sliced water chestnuts might also give this salad more crunch.
diana
June 23, 2010 at 1:08 amnice recipe….can not wait to try it soon…
Krista
July 9, 2010 at 10:46 amI made this last night with bulgar instead of the rice, added green lentils and kohlrabi (cut into matchsticks) last night, holy moly. The kids want it for supper again tonight, they’re probably going to get their wish, it was excellent! Thanks Susan V!
Basil
August 20, 2010 at 2:41 pmHoly cow! This is yet another amazing recipe of your creation. I had this for lunch today, and it was excellent. I made it with wild rice, and added bok choy and mushrooms. I love the broccoli, and the almonds add something really unique to this dish. Thanks!
Agus
September 11, 2010 at 2:50 pmJust made this for dinner, it was great! Replaced the bell pepper with carrot and didn’t have any soy sauce in the house so used some ketjap manis instead, it was delicious. Also topped it off with roasted sesame seeds.
Thanks for an awesome meal!
Alicia Jackson
February 23, 2011 at 1:01 pmSusan I brought this dish (slightly modified with different veggies just because that’s what I had in my fridge) to a company potluck, and I had rave reviews from many meat-eaters. One woman sent me an email saying she was “going ape” over my salad, and it was the “best veggie dish” she had ever eaten. She was so crazy about it that I let her take home the leftovers, and the rest of her family loved it too! Thanks again for another winner.
Aimee
March 17, 2011 at 12:59 pmSounds great! Can’t wait to try it.
Quick note: Should not be tagged as gluten-free. Soy sauce contains wheat.
lea
June 16, 2011 at 3:10 pmDelicious – I made this with short grain brown sushi rice and added celery for the “crunch” factor. The flavors in the dressing are perfectly balanced. Love it!
Jem
January 20, 2016 at 3:22 pmWhy does the site keep “forgetting” my password even though I select the Remember Me box?