Visual taste

Black Rice Summer Salad

Posted by Pardeep Singh on 19-08-2026

Food Recipes

When the weather is too warm for complicated cooking, a good salad should do more than simply fill a bowl with raw vegetables. This one feels substantial enough for lunch or dinner, but still fresh and light thanks to tomatoes, coriander and a lively dressing built around tamarind, soy and chilli.

Black rice is the key ingredient. It has a pleasantly chewy texture and deeper, nuttier flavour than ordinary white rice, so it holds up particularly well in a salad.

Add green beans, edamame and cashews, and you get a dish that feels colourful, satisfying and far more interesting than another predictable summer combination.

Ingredients

5 tbsp neutral oil, such as sunflower, rapeseed or groundnut oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

4½ tbsp light soy sauce

1½ tbsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

½ tbsp sambal oelek

200 g fine green beans, trimmed

350 g black rice

350 g cherry tomatoes, halved

100 g frozen shelled edamame, defrosted

60 g roasted unsalted cashews, roughly chopped

40 g fresh coriander, roughly chopper

Choose the Right Black Rice

Black rice may also be labelled Venus rice or black pearl rice.

Cooking times vary considerably between brands. Some versions are partly cooked before packaging and may be ready in around 20 minutes, while others can take closer to 40 minutes.

Check the instructions on the packet before you start so the vegetables and dressing are ready at the right time.

The finished rice should be tender but still retain some bite. Overcooked rice will become too soft and make the salad feel heavy.

Make the Tamarind Dressing

While a large saucepan of water comes to the boil, prepare the dressing.

In a large serving bowl, combine the neutral oil, minced garlic, light soy sauce, tamarind paste, dark brown sugar and sambal oelek.

Mix thoroughly until the sugar has mostly dissolved.

Taste the dressing before adding anything else.

Tamarind pastes vary significantly in strength. If yours is particularly concentrated, start with less and add more gradually until you have a good balance of sour, salty, sweet and spicy flavours.

The sambal oelek should give the dressing warmth without overwhelming the vegetables.

Cook the Green Beans

Once the water is boiling, add the trimmed green beans.

Cook for around 6–8 minutes, or until tender but still bright and slightly firm.

Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove them from the water, leaving the saucepan on the heat for the rice.

Shake off as much excess water as possible, then transfer the warm beans directly into the bowl of dressing.

Toss them gently so they begin absorbing the tamarind and soy mixture while still warm.

Cook and Cool the Rice

Add the black rice to the same pan of boiling water.

Cook according to the packet instructions until tender.

Drain thoroughly, then rinse under cold running water. This cools the rice quickly and removes excess starch that could make the salad sticky.

Drain it again very well.

Give the rice a few minutes in the colander if necessary. Too much remaining water will dilute the dressing and mute its flavour.

Bring Everything Together

Add the cooled black rice to the bowl containing the green beans and dressing.

Next, add the halved cherry tomatoes and defrosted edamame.

Scatter in the roughly chopped cashews and fresh coriander.

Toss everything carefully until the dressing coats the rice and vegetables evenly.

Try not to crush the tomatoes while mixing.

Taste once more before serving.

Depending on the soy sauce and tamarind you used, the salad may need a little extra acidity, chilli or sweetness.

Why the Textures Work

This salad is especially satisfying because almost every ingredient brings something different. The black rice is chewy and nutty. Green beans provide freshness and bite, while edamame adds a softer, slightly creamy texture.

Cherry tomatoes bring juiciness and natural sweetness.

Cashews supply crunch, and coriander keeps the whole bowl tasting bright rather than overly rich. Then there is the dressing: salty soy, sharp tamarind, a little brown sugar and chilli tie everything together without turning the salad heavy.

Serve It Warm or Chilled

The salad can be eaten immediately once assembled, while the rice and beans are still slightly warm, or chilled before serving.

If making it ahead, keep a small amount of coriander and cashews aside and add them just before eating. That way, the herbs stay fresher and the nuts retain more crunch.

It also travels well, making it useful for packed lunches, picnics or an easy make-ahead dinner.

Easy Ways to Adapt It

If you cannot find black rice, brown rice or red rice will still give you a pleasantly chewy result. For extra vegetables, add thinly sliced cucumber, shredded cabbage or lightly cooked sugar snap peas. You can also increase the edamame if you want the salad to feel more substantial. For a slightly sharper finish, squeeze over a little lime juice just before serving.

A Salad That Actually Feels Like Dinner

The beauty of this dish is how little active cooking it requires.

Once the rice and beans are cooked, everything else is mostly chopping, mixing and tasting.

The result is a bold, colourful bowl with enough texture and flavour to stand on its own — exactly the kind of summer meal that feels effortless without tasting basic.