As spring slips closer to summer, I’ve been thinking about a warm-weather standard that straddles the bridge between the seasons: curried rice salad.
Unlike pasta, leftover rice is perfect for recycling in a salad. While pasta often turns gummy and flabby when cold, rice holds its shape and remains firm, yet tender.
Just about anything can go into rice salad, from the usual chopped onion and celery to leftover seafood and chicken, but when the vinaigrette is seasoned with curry spices, and then raisins and toasted nuts are added to the mix, an interesting combination of flavors is created.
My first experience with this curried rice salad was at a luncheon served in a garden at the home of my cousin in Savannah, Georgia. He was well-known for his parties, and this was no exception. The recipe that follows is built on the memories of that elegantly appointed yet lazy and comfortable afternoon.
If you’d like to turn this into a main dish, add some cooked shrimp or chicken for a delicious dinner.