Crunch Up Salad

Crunch Up Salad                                                  serves 4

Dressing

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 ½ tsp sugar

¼ cup dried currants

1/3 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp sumac

1 tsp chili flakes

For the salad

 3 ½ cups cooked grains (black rice, red rice, brown rice, sushi rice) preferably leftover from the day before (about 200g uncooked rice)

1 ½ cups cauliflower, coarsely chopped (about 200g)

200g kale, shredded

2 baby gem or cos lettuce, washed and spun

4 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal

1 small cucumber or 4 Lebanese cucumbers, sliced on the diagonal

¼ cup pomegranate jewels (optional) or pitted cherries

To finish:

Gomashio 2.2

Start the night before: spread 4 cups leftover rice on a baking tray and leave it in the fridge, uncovered, overnight. The fridge is a great dehydrator.

To cook the rice, place a good 8 cm vegetable oil in a wok or a small deep saucepan and heat to 180 °C. Carefully drop the rice into the hot oil all at once. There will be some fearful spluttering so stand back from the stove for a few seconds until the noise subsides. Do not stir the rice.  It will stick together in little clusters. This is what we want.  After a minute or two the rice will look golden.  Remove the crisped rice to a paper towel lined plate.

To make the dressing, combine the vinegar, thyme, garlic, sugar, currants, and salt in a small pot.  Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Strain the currants from the dressing and reserve for later. Add the olive oil and whisk in the sumac and chili pepper.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.  You might need more salt or a few more drops of vinegar.

Add the kale, cauliflower, gem lettuce, spring onions, cucumber and pomegranate (or cherries) to a large mixing bowl.

Just before you are ready to serve, add the dressing together with the currants, and season generously with salt. Finally add the crispy rice at the very last minute and toss briefly to maintain optimal crispiness. Pile onto a large serving platter and garnish generously with Gomashio 2.0.