Try this rice salad for meals on the go

This is an ideal recipe for those busy households, where everyone is constantly on the go, this hearty salad keeps well in the fridge for up to three days. You can even pack it in your children’s lunch boxes for them to enjoy at school. I have shared a smilier recipe before but with quinoa and excluding the optional tune.

Preparation time: 60 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 8

For the Piccalilli Sauce:

• 1/2 small cauliflower head, cut into small florets
• 50 g green beans, trimmed into 1 cm length pieces
• 1/2 courgette, diced into 1 cm cubes
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp English mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 300 ml cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 150 ml water
• 2 tbsp cornflour

For the Rice Salad:

• 900g short grain rice, rinsed 3 – 4 times & soaked in water for at least 30 minutes & well drained
• 6 bell peppers, you can chose between green, yellow, orange or yellow, diced
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 100 grams green olives, pitted
• 300 grams marinated sweet corn, drained
• 400g marinated tuna, in springwater (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. For the piccalilli sauce, place the vegetables in a large, heavy-bottomed or preserving pan. Pour in the vinegar and water and add the ground ginger and turmeric. Bring to the boil and then simmer for five minutes until the vegetables are tender but still firm. Pour through a sieve into a bowl, reserving the liquid. Put the vegetables to one side.
2. Pour the liquid back into the pan, add the sugar. Bring to the boil then mix together the cornflour and mustard powder with a little water to form a paste and add to the liquid to thicken, repeating with more cornflour if necessary. Reduce the heat and simmer for around 5 minutes until you have a thick, dark yellow sauce. Add the vegetables to the pan and stir everything together well. Leave to cool completely at room temperature.
3. In the meantime, in a saucepan over medium heat, bring rice and 1 tsp of salt to a boil with 1.8 L of water, covered. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 25 minutes, the rice should be soft but also retains a bite.
4. Remove from stove and set aside for 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
5. In a large bowl, combine the rice, bell peppers, onions, olives, sweet corn, and the optional tuna.
6. Mix in the piccalilli sauce and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
7. To serve, divide the rice salad on serving plates.

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