This black rice salad with crispy kale and caramelized coconut is the perfect side dish for simply roasted salmon. It’s tossed with an easy soy-sesame dressing.
Did you happen to catch that article circulating facebook claiming kale is a "silent killer"? I know. Insert eye-rolling emoji.
This may come as a shock for you, but the viral articles that circulate facebook are, as a general rule of thumb, totally effing inaccurate. This kale article was no different. But it did bring the whole good food/bad food fights to a new level of absurdity. A few days later, I saw the rebuttal, which was a fantastic science takedown.Basically, the research behind the whole 'kale is toxic' claim is flimsy at best, but more accurately, nonexistent. Read it yourself. How such horrific science was spun in a fairly reputable media source will definitely make you look at nutrition headlines differently! Rest assured, kale is perfectly nutritious, and while theoretically, any food can be dangerous if consumed in excessive quantities, if you’re getting a variety of foods in, that’s not something you need to worry about.
In honor of that absolutely ridiculous article, I decided to share this recipe for black rice salad with crispy kale and caramelized coconut! I'm a huge fan of eating kale in salad form. The sturdy kale leaves won't wilt so you can whip up a kale salad that will last all week, dressed and all. To tenderize the leaves so you don't spend your entire lunch break chewing, be sure to massage the dressing in.
Or, you can do as I did in this black rice salad recipe and roast the kale, so it adds a crispy texture! When I first tried this salad from Super Natural Everyday I fell in love, not just with the salad itself, but the ingenious method for preparing the kale leaves by roasting them with a flavorful dressing. Basically, it's a kale chip salad. And although you lose the crispiness with leftovers, it's still has a great texture.
Making the crispy kale for this black rice salad is really simple. First you’ll prepare a simple dressing of soy sauce and sesame oil. Toss most of it with the kale leaves and coconut until well combined, then spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Be sure it isn’t too overcrowded, otherwise the kale will wilt rather than crisp. Then roast it in a 350 degree oven until the kale is nice and crispy and the coconut looks caramelized. If using two baking sheets, you might want to switch positions halfway.
Cooking with Black Rice
To make this salad, I used black rice. It’s also called forbidden rice, as in ancient China, only the upper class could afford to eat it. Black rice is set apart from other rice by the fact that it’s, well, black. But also it has a really incredible flavor - it’s nutty like brown rice (black rice is a whole grain too), but also with a bit more sweetness and complexity to its flavor. Black rice also has a higher anthocyanin content, an antioxidant also found in other purple/blue/red foods, like blueberries, pomegranate, black beans, eggplant and red cabbage.
To cook the rice for this black rice salad, you can either follow the directions in my recipe for stovetop cooking, cook like pasta in salted water for 20 minutes, then drain and fluff, or cook in an instant pot for 18 minutes on high pressure and 10 minutes natural release, with a 1 to 1 ratio or rice to liquid.
How to Serve This Black Rice Salad
Usually when I make this black rice salad, I serve it as a side dish, paired with simply roasted salmon. In this picture, I used my friend Kara Lydon’s slow cooked salmon recipe, topped with a lemon slice and a bit of furikake seasoning.
You could also round out this black rice salad into a full meal by adding toasted cashews or almonds, edamame and/or avocado for a more satisfying fats and protein. I’ve also added diced mango to this salad, which is delicious!
This black rice salad also makes a nice bed for grilled or seared tofu. This easy grilled tofu recipe is my favorite, and the flavors compliment this dish perfectly!
This black rice salad post has been updated to give you the best possible content.
Serves 4ish
Adapted from Super Natural Everyday by Heidi Swanson, one of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks.
Ingredients:
1 cup black rice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
Couple pinches cayenne
1 bunch of kale, thick leaves removed and leaves roughly chopped
3/4 cup large unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil with black rice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 50-60 minutes until rice is tender and water is absorbed. Set aside to cool. If you need to quickly cool, spread on a baking sheet and refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, sesame, soy sauce, garlic and cayenne.
Spread chopped kale evenly across two large baking sheets. Toss with coconut. Drizzle with about 3/4ths of the dressing. Place in the oven and bake 12-18 minutes until the coconut is golden and the leaves are slightly crispy around the edges. You may need to swap the pans positions in the oven (from upper to lower rack and visa versa) halfway through cooking.
Remove kale from the oven and transfer to a large bowl. Add black rice, remaining dressing and toss to combine. Serve warm. Leftovers can be enjoyed cool or at room temperature.
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Rachael Hartley
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