The rice salad with yogurt and vegetables is a very light dish, yet flavorful, thanks to the presence of spices and, above all, Greek yogurt that provides a certain creaminess to the dish that enhances it. It’s a different kind of rice salad, lighter, healthier, also due to the vegetables rich in minerals and vitamins. It’s a dish that can be personalized to your liking, by adding cheese flakes, pickles, cherry tomatoes, diced cooked ham, olives, etc. It’s an excellent first course to bring to the beach, on a trip, or to work because it doesn’t weigh you down. I recommend preparing it in advance so that the rice absorbs the flavors perfectly.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4/5 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, Spring, Summer and Autumn
Ingredients
- 1 cup Thai rice
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 Zucchini
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 10 Salad cherry tomatoes
- to taste Arugula
- to taste Chives
- to taste Fine salt
- to taste Extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
Preparation
1) Cook the rice according to your habits. Once cooked, drain it perfectly and let it cool in a large bowl.
2) Meanwhile, put the yogurt, a handful of arugula leaves (washed and dried), vinegar, about ten chopped chive stalks, and salt in a blender. Blend the ingredients, slowly pouring the oil in a thin stream, until you get a creamy and smooth mixture; then place it in the fridge to rest.
3) Meanwhile, wash the zucchini and remove waste parts. Cut it into sticks and then into cubes.
4) Heat a non-stick pan and sauté the cubes over a low flame for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
5) When the rice is well chilled, cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds from the center of the cucumber and cut it into pieces, along with some additional chive stalks which will add an even more fragrant and fresh note to our rice salad.
6) Add the chopped vegetables to the cold rice, season with the aromatic yogurt cream and mix until all the ingredients are blended. Adjust with oil or salt if necessary. Put in the fridge to let the flavors meld until ready to serve. The yogurt quantity is based on our taste. You can modify it to your liking. If you don’t have chives, you can replace them with 1/2 fresh spring onion or finely chopped leek. If you don’t like arugula, we can substitute it with fresh basil which will give our rice salad a more delicate taste.
