### Ingredients for a Quick and Easy 15-Minute Asian Rice Salad:
**Protein:**
- <ins>Protein-Rich Base:</ins> Choose from options like cooked quinoa, brown or jasmine rice, udon noodles, or your favorite protein substitute. (Feel free to swap out the rice with an equally-delicious and gluten-free option like cauliflower rice if desired.)
**Produce:**
- <ins>Fresh Vegetable Medley:</ins> Include favorites like sliced carrots, crunchy bell peppers, matchstick cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced radishes, snap peas, minced garlic, and minced ginger.
**Flavorings:**
- <ins>Asian-Inspired Sauce:</ins> Combine equal parts of soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and rice vinegar; adjust to taste to create a savory, umami-packed vinaigrette for your salad.
- <ins>Lime & Cilantro Burst:</ins> Add freshness with the juicy zest of limes and chopped fresh cilantro, boosting both flavor and nutritional value.
**Toppings/Mix-Ins**
- <ins>Crunch Factor:</ins> Enhance the dish with roasted, unsalted peanuts or almonds and crispy wonton strips or fried shallots - you might even find toasted sesame seeds lying around just asking to be sprinkled on top!
- <ins>Spicy Option:</ins> If you enjoy a hint of spiciness, red chili flakes or sliced chilis will work their magic here
<ins>Additional Boosters:</ins> For some extra punch, toss in grilled tofu cubes, shredded chicken, a scoop of cooked edamame or even crumbled feta cheese if that strikes your fancy!
Steps
## 15-Minute Asian Rice Salad
Looking for a quick and easy meal that's both nutritious and delicious? Try this 15-minute Asian rice salad! With a variety of colorful vegetables, protein-packed edamame, and flavorful homemade dressing, this salad is a satisfying and versatile option for lunch, dinner, or even potlucks.
>---
### Ingredients:
**<ins>Rice: </ins>**Choose any short-grain or medium-grain rice, or brown rice variation; jasmine rice can work too - 1 cup *uncooked*. This quantity yields around 3 cups of cooked rice and generally feeds 4 people.
**<ins>Vegetables: </ins>**
- Shredded carrots: 1 medium sized carrot
- Diced Cucumbers: 1 medium or ½ English cucumber; deseeded to get rid of excess watery content.
- Chopped Green Onion: Around 3 stalks. Thinly slice both, the greens as well as the white parts.
- Sliced Radishes: Around 6 medium-sized radishes.
**<ins>Edamame: </ins>**Fresh or frozen (thawed & shelled or simply squeeze the pods to pop them out) - ½ cup shelled edamame.
**<ins>Salad Dressing Ingredients: </ins>**
- Lime Zest & Juice: Finely grate the zest of ½ to 1 lime (depending on its size) as well as 3 tablespoon of its juice
- Rice Vinegar: 2 tablespoon
- Toasted Sesame Oil: 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon - this lends an intense Asian flavor; can use less based on personal preference.
- Ginger Powder: ¼ teaspoon
- Soy Sauce or Tamari: 2 ½ tablespoons
- Honey: ¾ to 1 tablespoon
- Chili Flakes: Just a tiny pinch, for a subtle spicy note - adjust depending on heat preference; skip if making this salad for kids.
- Salt & Pepper: Adjust to taste; start with ¼ teaspoon salt
>---
**<ins>Instructions: </ins>**
**[1] Cook the Rice**:
In a small saucepan/medium pot, add one part or cup of your chosen rice. Rinse it first under running water until the water coming out turns almost clear to get rid of starch. Next, add roughly two parts or approximately two cups of water, or follow pack instructions to get perfectly cooked rice. Bring the water to a boil uncovered on medium flame, then lower the heat, cover and let it gently simmer (around 15-18 minutes). Once done, set aside for a while to let residual steam escape as the rice will continue to cook from its trapped heat. Fluff rice grains gently; discard excess water if any and it’s ready to be added to the salad bowl
**[2] Prep the Salad Ingredients**:
**a)** Scrub thoroughly, dry and shred a medium-sized carrot or use a grater attachment of your food processor for faster results. You should end up with at least ¾ cup.
**b)** Next, deseed a regular medium-sized cucumber or ½ an English cucumber, if opting for that variety instead. The latter yields smaller seeds as compared to regular ones. Dice it up to get around ¾ cup to 1 cup, depending on your cucumber’s size.
**c)** Thinly slice green onions or scallions - you’ll need three stalks; use white/light green and green sections both.
**d)** Finally, slice around 6 or so radishes (adjust accordingly, based on their size - aim for ¾ to 1 cup sliced or julienned radishes); set everything aside while you focus on the Edamame.
**[3] Deal with Edamame**:
Use 1/2 cup fresh or pre-frozen and thawed and shelled Edamame - the latter, once thawed has to be squeezed out of the pods. While there isn’t specific cooking here that’s needed as such, some blanching will be done while it gets mixed later with the marinade which involves rice vinegar and salt; this adds flavor and is done while everything marries well for at least 20-25 minutes.
**[4] Prepare Asian Seasoning/Dressing**:
**NOTE: ** This can also be done earlier; whisk everything required in a jar, seal and allow flavors to combine well while you're chopping the salad ingredients or during cooking time.
**a)** Grate zest 1/2 a large lime or a medium-sized one – it typically yields ½ or a maximum of 1 teaspoon – use only green part in grated or finely chopped form; finely grated zest is far better compared to chopped bits