Celebrate World Happiness Day (20th March) with a Autumn Salad that will brighten up your Day!

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.

Mushroom Crispy Rice Salad

Serves 6

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

*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.

Method:

For the dressing:

1. Combine the peanut butter and hot water and whisk.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Taste to adjust seasoning and then set aside until serving.

For the crispy rice:

1. Preheat oven to 200˚C.
2. Place cooked rice in a bowl with the soy sauce, sesame oil and gochujang.
3. Mix the seasoning thoroughly into the rice with your hands so every grain is covered.
4. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper.
5. Spread the rice out in a thin layer.
6. Bake for 10 minutes and then agitate, flipping the rice over to evenly brown all the grains.
7. Bake for another 10 minutes until brown and crispy.
8. Set aside to cool.

For the salad:

1. Combine all of the salad ingredients except for the lettuce leaves and peanuts together in a large bowl.
2. Season with a little salt and pepper. Mix.
3. Add the crispy rice and pour over the dressing.
4. Toss to mix well.
5. Assemble dressed salad on a large serving platter.
6. Plate lettuce leaves alongside the chopped salad.
7. Scatter with peanuts and serve with lime wedges on the side and enjoy!