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Japanese Brown Rice Salad

This super-simple salad is a flavour-bomb and a refreshing accompaniment to a sustainably-sourced protein; think homemade organic chicken skewers or crispy-skinned sardines. It also works as a beautiful light meal – maybe add some extra nuts/seeds, avocado and some of your fave roast veggies for bulk and extra satisfaction.

I love having coconut aminos and coconut vinegar on hand.

  • Coconut amino is a soy-sauce replacement made from fermented coconut nectar, onion, garlic, chilli and sea salt – it seriously is the bomb-diggity.
  • Coconut vinegar is just fermented coconut nectar and is a wonderful change of pace from the beloved Apple Cider Vinegar. It still benefits digestion. Try a teaspoon or two in water before a meal or use it as part of the meal as a digestive aid.
  • Both are available at most good health food stores, some supermarkets and (of course) online.

Feel free to play with this recipe. Here are some ideas.

  • Brown Rice for … Japanese Sushi Rice, Jasmine Rice, Cauliflower or Broccoli “rice” or even Quinoa or Buckwheat if that’s more your thing (you can soak the grain in water for 12 hours before cooking and rinse well if you struggle to digest grains due to the phytic acid content – this process will break the acid down and leave you with a much gentler product)
  • Coconut Aminos for … Tamari (wheat-free soy sauce), bearing in mind that for those with pre-exsisting hormonal issues, soy can act as an oestrogen-mimicker in the body, meaning that it binds to our oestrogen-receptor-binding-sites and thus stop our natural oestrogen molecules from eliciting their normal effects. A little bit of soy here and there for most people is no big deal and on the contrary can impart some benefit, but this is a good caution to be aware of … you know me, all about the education.
  • Coconut Vinegar for … Apple Cider Vinegar, I’ve even seen a new funky-looking product at the health food store called “Kiwi vinegar” which is made from fermented kiwi juice. Then there’s always the opportunity to use sauerkraut juice for that same sour taste and some gut-loving probiotic bacteria (and the benefits of cabbage juice which is beautiful for liver health). If you don’t fancy a tangy salad, maybe use a drizzle of olive oil instead, omit coconut aminos and add in plenty of freshly chopped herbs
  • Carrot and Cucumber for … roasted sweet potato and/or butternut pumpkin cubes, and/or roasted zucchini, plus some diced snow peas, steamed broccoli or Brussel sprouts, red onion etc.. Basically whatever veggie combos tickle your fancy. We aren’t usually cucumber fans around here, but we served this batch of salad with spicy chicken tikka skewers (marinade made with a base of coconut yoghurt) and so the cucumber was cooling on the palate. That being said, I reckon I’d like this even better without the cucumber and maybe some extra avo 
  • Avocado for … What are you a crazy person … no one in their right mind swaps out avocado for ANYTHING!!! No, no, no just kidding lovely ones, I’d never judge your food preferences. If you aren’t an avo fan, you could get a similar creamy texture by making up the salad as normal, only omitting the avo and then serving with a dollop of cashew butter or cashew cheese (or nut/seed butter of choice). If you’re going with the olive oil version, hummus dolloped on top would be unreal!
  • Dulse, Ginger and Chia Seeds for … The dulse adds an earthy, saltiness but can easily be omitted or replaced with a pinch of sea salt. The Ginger really is pretty special with the coconut aminos, but minced garlic would be epic in the olive oil dressed modification. Chia seeds are just there for protein, minerals and omega-3, so feel free to swap to Flax Seeds, Inca Inchi Seeds or even some Toasted Pepitas for an extra crunch and cool green colour
  • Handful of Cashews – Any other nuts you like … macadamias, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts etc. 

Japanese Brown Rice Salad

  • 2 cups cooked and cooled brown rice (organic if possible)
  • 4 Tablespoons coconut aminos
  • 1 teaspoon coconut vinegar
  • 3/4 large or 1 small cucumber, diced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and diced (if organic don’t worry about peeling)
  • 1 teaspoon each of dulse flakes, minced ginger and chia seeds
  • 1-2 Handfuls raw cashews

Method

Toast cashews in a frying pan over a medium-low heat until golden brown and you can smell a nice toasted-nut aroma

Toss rice in aminos and vinegar, coat well

Add veggies, pulse, ginger , toasted cashews and chia seeds and again, toss well

Gently fold through avocado cubes, or alternative, serve with avocado slices neatly arranged on top of the salad mound – if you do this garnish with fresh herbs of choice and some extra toasted cashews (it will look fancy schmancy!)