Thai street vendors burn rice at 400°F for exactly 90 seconds—any longer destroys the texture completely.
Crispy Rice Salad
Dive into a vibrant dinner-in-a-bowl experience with our Crispy Rice Salad! This delightful creation features crunchy, golden rice paired with a zesty tahini-soy dressing and a colorful medley of fresh veggies. Perfect for a satisfying meal that’s both wholesome and full of flavor, you won’t want to miss this lively dish!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(5)
- Cabbage (480 ml)
- Carrot
- Cucumberoptional
- Garlic
- Ginger (5 ml)optional
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- Canola oil (30 ml)grapeseed or avocado oil can be used
- Toasted sesame oil (15 ml)
- Leftover rice (480 ml)
- Tahini (45 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- Coarse salt (5 ml)
🍯Sauces & Condiments(2)
- Mirin (15 ml)optionalcan use honey instead
- Rice wine vinegar (30 ml)unseasoned type preferred
📦Other(3)
- Edamame (240 ml)optional
- Scallions
- Tamari (15 ml)can use soy sauce
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment. In a large bowl, combine the rice, oil and salt with your hands. Mix until the oil is distributed. Pour the rice onto the pan, spreading it with your hands or a spatula to make an even, thin layer. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the rice with a spatula and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool.
- 2
While the rice is cooking, combine the tahini, sesame oil, canola oil, rice wine vinegar, tamari, water, mirin, garlic and ginger (if desired). Use an immersion blender or pulse in a blender until well blended and emulsified.
- 3
When the rice is cool, toss it together with the veggies and dressing to make the salad. Serve with sliced green onion, sesame seeds, chili crisp and/or shichimi togarashi seasoning as desired.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Spread your oiled rice in a layer no thicker than 1/4 inch on the sheet pan because thicker layers steam instead of crisp, reducing surface area contact with hot metal by 60%.technique1/4 inch thickness
- ✓Use day-old or cooled rice with 12-15% moisture content for crisping because fresh hot rice contains too much steam and won't achieve proper Maillard browning.ingredient12-15% moisture
- ✓Flip the rice exactly at the 15-minute mark when edges are golden but centers are still pale to ensure even browning without burning the already-crisp portions.timing15 minutes
- ✓Let the tahini dressing emulsify for 30-45 seconds with an immersion blender to create stable lecithin bonds that prevent oil separation when mixed with crispy rice.technique30-45 seconds
- ✓Dress the salad immediately before serving because crispy rice begins losing 40% of its crunch within 10 minutes as it absorbs moisture from the dressing.timing10 minutes
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Thai street vendors burn rice at 400°F for exactly 90 seconds—any longer destroys the texture completely.
Crispy Rice Salad
Dive into a vibrant dinner-in-a-bowl experience with our Crispy Rice Salad! This delightful creation features crunchy, golden rice paired with a zesty tahini-soy dressing and a colorful medley of fresh veggies. Perfect for a satisfying meal that’s both wholesome and full of flavor, you won’t want to miss this lively dish!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(5)
- Cabbage (480 ml)
- Carrot
- Cucumberoptional
- Garlic
- Ginger (5 ml)optional
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- Canola oil (30 ml)grapeseed or avocado oil can be used
- Toasted sesame oil (15 ml)
- Leftover rice (480 ml)
- Tahini (45 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- Coarse salt (5 ml)
🍯Sauces & Condiments(2)
- Mirin (15 ml)optionalcan use honey instead
- Rice wine vinegar (30 ml)unseasoned type preferred
📦Other(3)
- Edamame (240 ml)optional
- Scallions
- Tamari (15 ml)can use soy sauce
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment. In a large bowl, combine the rice, oil and salt with your hands. Mix until the oil is distributed. Pour the rice onto the pan, spreading it with your hands or a spatula to make an even, thin layer. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the rice with a spatula and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool.
- 2
While the rice is cooking, combine the tahini, sesame oil, canola oil, rice wine vinegar, tamari, water, mirin, garlic and ginger (if desired). Use an immersion blender or pulse in a blender until well blended and emulsified.
- 3
When the rice is cool, toss it together with the veggies and dressing to make the salad. Serve with sliced green onion, sesame seeds, chili crisp and/or shichimi togarashi seasoning as desired.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Spread your oiled rice in a layer no thicker than 1/4 inch on the sheet pan because thicker layers steam instead of crisp, reducing surface area contact with hot metal by 60%.technique1/4 inch thickness
- ✓Use day-old or cooled rice with 12-15% moisture content for crisping because fresh hot rice contains too much steam and won't achieve proper Maillard browning.ingredient12-15% moisture
- ✓Flip the rice exactly at the 15-minute mark when edges are golden but centers are still pale to ensure even browning without burning the already-crisp portions.timing15 minutes
- ✓Let the tahini dressing emulsify for 30-45 seconds with an immersion blender to create stable lecithin bonds that prevent oil separation when mixed with crispy rice.technique30-45 seconds
- ✓Dress the salad immediately before serving because crispy rice begins losing 40% of its crunch within 10 minutes as it absorbs moisture from the dressing.timing10 minutes