Rice salad with pineapple only works if the pineapple juice goes into the dressing. Do not pour it away, reserve 40 g. The fruit acid gives the yoghurt dressing its fruity character and keeps the cream stable.
We have been making this salad for years at barbecues and buffets. The combination of cold rice, crunchy vegetables and a creamy dressing with pineapple juice keeps for two to three days in the fridge. It tastes even better after it has had time to sit.
Fruity Rice Salad with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 16 ✓
- 1000 g water
- 1 tsp salt
- 350 g long-grain rice
- 150 g tinned pineapple
- 200 g tinned sweetcorn
- 170 g tinned mushrooms
- 2 spring onions
- 1 red pepper
- 150 g yoghurt
- 50 g double cream
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper freshly ground
- 1 tbsp medium mustard
- 20 g light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
Instructions 0 / 6
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1
Cook the rice.
Cook the rice using the basic rice recipe in the Thermomix®.
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2
Prepare the pineapple.
Meanwhile, drain the pineapple, reserving 40 g of the juice. Cut the pineapple into small pieces and place in a large salad bowl.
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3
Add ingredients to the salad bowl.
Drain the sweetcorn and mushrooms. Wash the spring onions and slice into rings. Wash the pepper, halve it, remove the stalk and seeds, and cut into small pieces. Add all the vegetables to the salad bowl.
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4
Leave the rice to cool.
Remove the rice from the mixing bowl and leave to cool for 30 minutes.
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5
Mix the dressing.
Add all the dressing ingredients along with the 40 g pineapple juice to the mixing bowl and mix for 15 sec / speed 3.
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6
Combine the salad and serve.
Once the rice has cooled, add the rice and dressing to the salad bowl and mix well.
Tip: You can easily prepare this salad the day before. Stored in the fridge it keeps for 2 to 3 days, and the flavours develop even further as it sits.
Nutrition per serving
Rice in the simmering basket, dressing in the mixing bowl
The Thermomix® cooks the 350 g of long-grain rice in the simmering basket. While the rice cooks, you prepare the vegetables. After 20 minutes you take the rice out and leave it to cool for 30 minutes. Then the dressing comes together in 15 seconds at speed 3 in the mixing bowl.
That saves time and an extra pan. Apart from the mixing bowl, all you need is a salad bowl and a chopping board.
Reserve the pineapple juice, do not throw it away
When you drain the tinned pineapple, reserve exactly 40 g of juice. This goes into the dressing later. Without it the dressing tastes like a plain yoghurt and cream mixture. With the juice it gets the fruity acidity that pairs so well with pineapple and sweetcorn.
The acidity also serves a practical purpose: it emulsifies the 50 g of double cream with the yoghurt. The dressing stays creamy and does not split, even after the salad has been sitting in the fridge for a day.
Chop the vegetables while the rice cooks
Pineapple, sweetcorn and mushrooms come from tins and only need to be drained. Slice the spring onions into thin rings and dice the red pepper into small pieces. Everything goes straight into the salad bowl.
The pepper adds crunch and colour. Red works better than yellow or green because the colour creates a contrast against the sweetcorn and rice. Spring onions stay mild and do not have the sharpness of regular onions.
30 minutes cooling time is the minimum
The rice must be completely cool before it joins the vegetables. Warm rice makes the pepper go soft and the spring onions turn mushy. 30 minutes at room temperature is enough.
If you are making the salad the day before, you can cool the rice in the fridge. It will firm up a little and mix together even more easily.
Dressing ready in 15 seconds
Yoghurt, double cream, mustard, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt and pepper go into the mixing bowl along with the 40 g of pineapple juice. Mix for 15 seconds at speed 3. Done.
The soy sauce adds umami, and the mustard helps bind the dressing alongside the cream. The Worcestershire sauce adds depth without being overpowering. The sugar balances the acidity from the pineapple juice and yoghurt.
Mix everything together and chill
Once the rice is cold, add it to the salad bowl along with the dressing. Mix thoroughly with a spatula. The salad is ready to eat straight away, but after two hours in the fridge it tastes even better.
Left to sit overnight the salad becomes more flavourful. The rice grains absorb the dressing and the vegetables release some moisture. The result is a creamy salad rather than separate components.
What you can change
Fresh pepper, tomatoes or cucumber instead of tinned vegetables makes the salad crunchier, but also less stable. Fresh vegetables release more water and can dilute the dressing after a day.
Basmati instead of long-grain rice sticks together less and stays fluffier. On the other hand it has less flavour of its own. Long-grain is more neutral and absorbs the dressing better.
Dijon mustard instead of medium mustard gives more heat and less sweetness. This works well if you prefer a sharper dressing. In that case, reduce the sugar to 1 tsp.
How long does the salad keep
In the fridge, the rice salad keeps for two to three days in a covered bowl. No longer than that, because the vegetables eventually release water and the salad turns watery.
Freezing does not work. The rice goes mushy when thawed and the pepper loses its texture. If you need larger quantities, it is better to make two fresh batches rather than freezing one.
More Thermomix® salads: Thermomix® Salads, Coleslaw, White Cabbage Salad.
How other recipes compare
Goes well with: Schnitzel and roast chicken.
We looked at the most popular rice salad recipes out there and found three clear differences. First, the rice: many go for plain long-grain rice, but we recommend loose basmati or a wild rice mix for more bite. Second, the dressing: others bind with salad mayonnaise and soured cream, while we use natural yoghurt with a spoonful of mayo and the pineapple juice as the acid. That saves calories and tastes fresher. Third, the fruit: instead of just mandarin segments or grapes we stick with pineapple and crunchy pepper. You can also add cooked turkey breast or toast a handful of cashews for extra crunch.
