Equipment
Ingredients
Rice Base
- 200 g short-grain brown rice, uncooked
- 500 ml water
- 3 g sea salt
Vegetables & Seaweed
- 15 g dried wakame seaweed
- 2 persian cucumbers, sliced into half-moons
- 150 g shelled edamame, thawed if frozen
- 1 carrot, julienned or grated
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Dressing
- 45 ml soy sauce
- 30 ml rice vinegar, unseasoned
- 15 ml toasted sesame oil
- 10 ml maple syrup
- 10 g fresh ginger, grated
- 15 g toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 332 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbohydrates
- 54 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 1157 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 0 mg
- Potassium
- 499 mg
- Calcium
- 38 mg
- Iron
- 1.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 91 mg
- Phosphorus
- 225 mg
- Zinc
- 2.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 75 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.0 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 38 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.10 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.16 mg
- Niacin
- 4.3 mg
- Folate
- 26 mcg
- Water
- 165 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
- Caffeine
- 0 mg
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Rinse the brown rice thoroughly under cold water. Combine rice, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for 40-45 minutes until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes.
While rice cooks, place dried wakame in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let it soak for 5-10 minutes until soft and expanded. Drain well and squeeze out excess water. Roughly chop if pieces are too large.
Spread the cooked rice onto a baking sheet or large plate to cool it down to room temperature quickly. This prevents the salad from becoming gummy.
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, maple syrup, and grated ginger until emulsified.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled brown rice, rehydrated wakame, sliced cucumber, shelled edamame, carrots, and green onions.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Short-grain brown rice is superior for salads because it remains plump and chewy, whereas long-grain can become dry and separate.
- Make sure to squeeze the water out of the wakame thoroughly; otherwise, it will dilute your dressing.
- This salad is excellent for meal prep as the flavors meld together over time, though the cucumber may lose some crunch after 2 days.
- For extra protein, add cubes of firm tofu or tempeh.
- If you cannot find dried wakame, you can use a high-quality seaweed salad mix, but reduce the dressing quantity as the mix is usually pre-seasoned.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Flavor improves after resting for a few hours. Texture remains good.
Troubleshooting
Salad tastes bland
Cause: Brown rice absorbs a lot of dressing, or rice was not salted during cooking
Fix: Add a splash more soy sauce or a pinch of salt and toss again
Prevention: Always salt the cooking water for the rice
Rice texture is mushy
Cause: Rice was overcooked or mixed with dressing while still hot
Fix: Spread rice out to dry slightly, or add crunchy toppings (seeds, nuts) to mask texture
Prevention: Ensure rice is fully cooled to room temperature before tossing
Cultural Context
This dish draws inspiration from Japanese 'sunomono' (vinegared dishes) and macrobiotic dietary principles, which emphasize whole grains like brown rice combined with sea vegetables for a balanced, restorative meal. While not a traditional Japanese classic, it represents modern Japanese-style healthy home cooking.
