Coconut Curry Rice Salad

We spent our 30^th wedding anniversary in SLC visiting relatives and old friends. We also ate at a famous raw food restaurant. We started with a delicious Coconut Curry Rice Salad, which was fantastic. While our other choices were tasty, they were much too rich for me. I’ve been living a plant-perfect lifestyle for over 2 years now. So the dishes made with copious amounts of nuts and olive oil didn’t sit well with my tender tummy.

If I ever go back there, I’ll for sure eat the salad again. But there I’ll stop. It was good enough to satisfy almost anyone and not make them feel overly stuffed. At home, I'll make the salad to accompany Chana Palak Masala another light dish. The following recipe reflects my interpretation of the dish. It is no longer considered raw, because I substitute white beans for young coconut meat and almond milk/coconut extract for the young coconut milk. The result is very much like Omar’s salad from Rawtopia. Enjoy!

Coconut Curry Rice Salad (oil-free, sugar-free, soy-free, gluten-free)

1 large clove garlic
1 medium shallot, roughly chopped
½ t red chili paste
a large chunk of ginger (maybe 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons’ worth?)
1/4 c. dried mango, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes
a small handful of Thai or regular basil leaves
1 c. plain almond or other plant milk with ½ t. coconut extract
½ c. cooked white beans of any kind

1 t. yellow curry powder
1 t. miso tamari

In a high-speed blender or food processor, blend all the ingredients in a Vita-Mix until smooth and creamy.  Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, and store in a covered container in the fridge.  Toss with sprouted wild rice, celery, broccoli, bell peppers, cabbage, pistachios and raisins. Depending on the amount of veggies and rice, you may have leftover dressing. Place a bed of micro greens on the plate. Put a scoop of rice mixture on the bed and top with sprouts.