Jewelled black rice salad with labne and pomegranate dressing

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup SunRice Black Rice
• 500g carrots
• 1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 1½ tbsp cumin seeds, coarsely crushed
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ⅓ cup pistachio nuts, lightly roasted, coarsely chopped, plus extra to serve
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries (craisins)
• ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley, plus extra to serve
• ½ cup coarsely chopped mint, plus extra to serve
• ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds, plus extra to serve
• 150g marinated labne, torn into chunks (see Note)

Dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (see Note)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ground black pepper

Instructions

Place all dressing ingredients in a screw top jar and set aside.

Cook rice according to directions on pack. Place in a mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water. Drain well. Spread onto a tray to cool.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C. Cut carrots in half lengthways, then into chunks. Place in a baking pan, along with onion. Sprinkle with cumin and salt and drizzle with olive oil, then toss to coat. Roast 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring halfway through cooking time. Set aside to cool.

Place rice in large bowl. Add roasted vegetables and all remaining ingredients, except for labne. Toss gently.

Shake dressing and pour over salad. Toss gently. Place on a serving platter or  in a shallow bowl. Top with labne, extra herbs, extra pomegranate seeds and extra pistachio nuts.

Notes
• Honey can be used to replace pomegranate molasses.

• Use Persian feta in place of labne.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.