Recipe - Curry Risotto Salad

Salads

Curry Risotto Salad

Curry powder is the building block of Indian cooking. It’s responsible for bringing color and depth to countless dishes. It is mixed with herbed squash, pomegranate, walnuts, kale, and a cumin-dill yogurt dressing and pulls on flavors from Dahi Chaat, an Indian roadside snack made with fried dough puffs, spiced yogurt, smashed chickpeas, and sweetened chutney. Street vendors all over Mumbai, India, are the masters of making this typical snack. Like Dahi Chaat, this Curry Risotto Salad is full of spices, crunch, and notes of sweetness from the pomegranates.

Ingredients:

Curried Rice:
2 cups Campanini Organic Brown Rice CAMPANINI, RICE BROWN ORGANIC 12/1 LB BOX (K)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
5 cups (40 oz./1200 grams) vegetable broth
Lemon juice (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Herbed Squash:
2-3 lb squash (acorn, winter, butternut, etc.) cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 sage leaves (finely chopped)
3 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Salt
Salad and Dressing:
2 large heads of kale
⅓ cup greek yogurt
⅓ cup lemon juice
⅓ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cumin (to taste)
2 tablespoons chopped dill
½ cup almonds and/or walnuts
½-¾ cup pomegranates
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

Preparation:

Time: 1 hour

Yield: 4

Make the Salad

Bring the vegetable broth to a low simmer, and in another large pot, heat up the olive oil for the rice and curry powder. Then, add in the rice and mix until everything is well coated. Continue mixing until the rice turns translucent.
2. Add 1 cup of the vegetable broth to the rice and salt heavily. Keep stirring the rice and broth on low heat. As the rice absorbs the liquid, continue adding another cup of broth and salt to taste. Repeat until the rice is cooked and there is no more broth left. Mix in lemon juice to taste and set the rice to the side to cool.
3. While the rice cools down, preheat the oven to 425° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Toss the squash with olive oil, sage, thyme, rosemary, freshly ground pepper and salt. Then, bake for 25-35 minutes until the squash is fully cooked.
4. As the squash bakes, chop two large heads of kale and set aside. To make the dressing, mix together the greek yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, water, honey, cumin, and chopped dill. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then, pour the dressing over the kale and massage the kale with your hands for about 5 minutes until it softens.
5. Once the squash is cooked, mix in the squash, curried rice, nuts, and pomegranates with the kale. Serve the dish while the squash is still warm, and enjoy!