Published July 1, 2000.
We wanted a rice salad recipe with rice that was tender, fluffy, and light. To achieve that goal, we found a method for cooking long-grain rice that would preserve its fresh-from-the-pan characteristics once cooled: toasting the rice, then boiling it (like pasta) in an abundant amount of water, draining it, and spreading it on a baking sheet to cool and dry off. We then tossed our rice with a spare amount of dressing 20 minutes before serving to give the flavors time to develop and added ingredients to our rice salad recipe that would complement rather than overpower the rice.
Taste the rice as it nears the end of its cooking time; it should be cooked through and toothsome, but not crunchy. Be careful not to overcook the rice or the grains will “blow out” and fray. Aromatic basmati rice works well in any of the rice salads, but regular long-grain rice works fine, too.
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