How to Make Rice Salad

Rice salad is such a simple recipe to make. If you are looking for inspiration for easy starter recipes for a buffet, rice salad is perfect. The day before the party, cook a lot of rice. Then you can divide it up and make different salad recipes. You can also cook it just before you make the salad but remember it does need to chill for a while before you serve it.

To make a rice salad, you need to cook the rice until it is tender (simmer one part white rice in two parts salted water) and make sure you drain it well. Store it in the refrigerator overnight and you can use it the next day to make some tasty buffet recipes. Use white rice for the best results. Long grain and short grain rice both work well.

Savoury Rice Salads

Combine rice with mayonnaise, sour cream, creme fraiche, salad cream, single cream or a combination of these. Rice will be too dry if you do not add some kind of dressing. Add a little salt and black pepper too, if needed. Perhaps some chilli powder would also be tasty, or some red pepper flakes.

Add walnut and blue cheese for an exotic and full-flavored recipe. Add chopped beetroot, peas and pineapple for a colourful dish. Add ham, cheese and peas for a retro style rice salad. Add drained, canned shrimp and tuna for a fishy one.

As well as the mayonnaise or sour cream, you can add some mustard, curry powder or tomato puree. If you are making a fishy salad, add some tomato puree mixed with mayonnaise and a couple of drops of Worcestershire sauce.

If you are using blue cheese and walnuts, just use the mayonnaise, to keep the flavour simple. If you are using chopped chicken and raisins or chopped beef and caramelized onions, add some curry powder for a really mouth-watering flavour.

The key to successful rice salad is to be creative. Add finely chopped vegetables or fruit and meat, poultry or fish and chill the rice salad until you are ready to serve it.

Fruity Rice Salads

Rice pudding might be a dessert but you can serve sweet salads on the buffet table with the savoury salads. Combine cold cooked rice with mayonnaise and chopped fruit for a wonderful fruity salad.

Try banana, apple, plum, peach, strawberry, grape or any combination of those. You can use half mayonnaise and half single cream for a gourmet touch. Throw in some nutmeg or cinnamon too. Peanuts go nicely in sweeter recipes, as do walnut halves or cashews.

This dish has been a popular dish at buffets for half a century and it is not going out of vogue now. Rice salad is an excellent choice if you want to make something cheap and easy yet impressive and delicious. Rice is filling and makes a great starter recipe or accompaniment to a main meal. The fact that you can make it ahead is also nice.

Serve rice salad in a big serving bowl with a ladle. If you are serving it as an appetizer or part of a main course, you can stuff small cups or mugs with the rice salad mixture, use a palette knife to level it off, and tip it out firmly on to a serving plate. It will keep its shape.

This dish is so easy to make and you can find plenty of other wonderful starter recipe ideas at StarterRecipes.co.uk - recipes which suit every occasion and palate.

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