How can I save this rice salad?

[Namechangeforthisonenow]

I'm having a bbq and prepared a rice salad but it's awful. The rice is cloggy and I've chopped some red onion and Tomatoes in with it. It doesn't look appealing, photo doesn't show how horrible it looks. Can I save it?

I'd eat that :)

Honestly I wouldn't eat it. The rice looks really unappealing in lumps. A rice salad needs loose grains of rice with a much higher ratio of vegetables to rice.

@grapehyacinthisactuallyblue It's for a vegan bbq so can't add tuna 😂

My rice always goes claggy and horrible. I don't understand how I manage it?

Lesson learned I won't bother with a rice salad in future!

Very jealous of your bbq. We were going to have one but it's been raining solidly for three days now so we've given up hope

@garlictwist Raining here too! I'm not cancelling though. Ever hopeful!

Namechange next time, try rinsing the rice with cold water before cooking. This removes some of the starch. My husband is a chef but had never done this before he found me doing it,

Use the absorption method to cook rice. Put rice in pan and rinse until water runs pretty clear. Then top up with cold water - get the right depth of water by putting your downturned thumb on top of the rice and having the water height somewhere between base of thumbnail and the joint (this is precise enough). Bring to boil with lid on tight then cook on lowest possible simmer for 10-12 minutes. When it's done the top usually has a slightly cratered look and many of the grains will be standing on end (but do taste it to ensure it's cooked!). There will be little or no water in the bottom.

@Namechangeforthisonenow - exactly as @AuditAngel says, you need to rinse the raw rice really well before you cook it. Unlike risotto (where you want all the starch to convert to a nice, thick and creamy 'gravy'), getting rid of all the starch will give you fluffy separated grains once cooked. Some rices - such as wild rice or whole grain/brown rices - need to be pre-soaked for 30-40mins before you do the rinsing process below.

I put my rice in the cooking pot, and fill with cold water. Stir the rice in a gentle, circular motion with your hand a few times (like, 5 or so) until the water turns cloudy (don't be rough and don't use a spoon etc, as you will otherwise break the delicate rice grains). Pour all this water away (you can save it for your plants!), to leave the drained rice. Repeat this process another 2 or 3 times. You should end up with your cleaned rice in clear water, where no more starchy cloudiness results after the swirling. This is when you know all the starch has gone.

Pour out the water, and replace with fresh cold water. You can measure the perfect level of water, for any portion of rice, if you use the 'finger method' ie dip your hand in the water, so that your middle finger-tip touches the rice. The fresh cold water should come up to the first knuckle/joint of your middle finger.

During the cooking process, keep the lid on. You'll end up with perfectly steamed and separated rice.

Oh, also, for a rice salad next time - don't use the rice immediately after cooking. Cool it quickly in the fridge (eg spread out on a baking tray) and use it then (reheating rice kept at room temperature can cause food poisoning).

I'm really glad you saved it OP. I think chucking it because it looked lumpy/sticky was terrible advice from posters!

That's just overcooked, cold white rice with random stuff put in it.

I'd have cooked the rice with veg and flavour; fry onion, garlic and red pepper then add turmeric, cumin and paprika then add rice, water and veg stock cube mix it all then add frozen peas. Let it all simmer for 15/20 minutes then take it off the heat, keep the lid on and leave it for 10 minutes. Then remove lid and chill or serve warm.

I wouldn't eat that, I'm a bit funny about rice salad anyway but with big lumpy overcooked rice. If I were you I'd have just started again

The rice is really overcooked, I would bin it and start again.

I’m not sure you can do much about the rice being sticky, it’s already done.
I avoid stickiness by rinsing the rice with cold water in a sieve first until the water runs out clear.

The rice salad didn't go down too well.
DH liked it though so will be a lunch filler for the next couple of days at least.

Thanks for the tips on cooking rice. I'll
Defo give them a go.

Throw it away and start again

Awwww man at least you tried 🥰 Had you in my thoughts 😂 Was way too emotionally invested in this. Were the salad and olives loved xxx

Also hope you don’t mind but told DP this tale and he’s made rice salad for tea with our salmon xxx

I don't rinse rice before cooking but for rice salad I would cook it until nearly done (like pasta al dente) and then tip it into a sieve and run a cold tap over it to stop it cooking immediately. Put in fridge while you chop the other ingredients.

@xxcatcatcatxx Ah thanks! It's not a good feeling inviting people over then not producing nice food. Burgers and green salad went down ok:

I'm going to practice the rice thing now thou

If the rice spent time sitting at warm room temperature (approx 21° +) then I really would not recommend this. I don’t share the MN paranoia about rice as long as it’s cooled quickly and stored in a cold fridge but sitting it in a warm room for an hour or more is asking for trouble. Just chuck it. Next time wash your rice and don’t try to cook it like pasta in gallons of water.