In this sesame rice side dish, warm white rice is given tons of flavor and freshness with very little effort through the addition of chopped cold cucumber, chives, lime juice, and sesame seeds.
Hot And Cold
I really enjoy meals served hot but that have a cold refreshing component. Best of both worlds, something that is warm but won’t overheat you even in the middle of summer.
I decided to come up with a rice recipe that involved this concept. This rice recipe takes basic white rice, served hot and steaming, and tops it with a cold, crunchy and refreshing mix of cucumber, chives, lime, and sesame seeds.
How To Make The Rice
We use long-grain rice in this recipe. Not sure what that means? Epicurious breaks it down in this article, but Basmati and Jasmine rice are both great options in addition to basic white rice.
If you want to make the rice on the stove, combine the rice, sesame oil, water, and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a small sauce pan that has a tight-fitting lid. Heat uncovered over high heat until it reaches a boil then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook the rice, leaving the lid on and unbothered, for 18-20 minutes.
You can also cook rice in your Instant Pot or even get creative and substitute Cauliflower Rice instead if you’re watching your carbs.
Putting Together The Rice Salad
While the rice is cooking, toast the sesame seeds in a small dry sauce pan. Heat over medium until they are gently browned, about 3-5 minutes. Keep an eye on them, they can go from toasty to burned quickly if you don’t pay attention. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and mix in the cucumber, chives, lime juice, and the salt.
Then, put the warm cooked rice on a serving plate and spoon the cold cucumber mixture on top.
Enjoy! -Christine xo
Podcast Episode On Making Warm Sesame Rice
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this easy dish, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Warm Sesame Rice with Cold Cucumber, Chive, and Lime
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
This easy rice side dish comes together in about 20 minutes. It’s super flavorful, thanks to the addition of cucumber, chives, sesame, and lime.
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 2 cups cold water
- 1/2 tsp salt, divided
- 2 tsp. sesame seeds
- 3 inches of English cucumber, chopped (about 1/2 cup once chopped)
- 1/4 cup chopped chives
- 1 tsp. fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Combine the rice, sesame oil, water and ¼ teaspoon of the salt in a small sauce pan that has a tight-fitting lid. Heat uncovered over high heat until it reaches a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook covered and without peeking for 18-20 minutes, until rice is soft and there are small circular holes tunneling down among the grains. Fluff rice gently with a fork.
- While the rice cooks, toast the sesame seeds by pouring them into a skillet set over medium heat. Cook stirring often until they are lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a small mixing bowl.
- To the sesame seeds add the cucumber, chives, lime juice, and the ¼ teaspoon of remaining salt.
- Transfer the rice to a serving platter. Spoon the cucumber mixture over the rice. Don’t mix them together because that will heat up the cucumber and you want it to stay cool and fresh until it reaches your mouth.
This post originally appeared in April 2012 and was revised and republished in October, 2021. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Margo, Thrift at Home says
this sounds lovely! Â I have realized that I like hot rice, specifically, wiht a cold salad component. Â We have several variations of Vietnamese salads. Â I’m definitely going to make your recipe.
Carolina @ Peas in a Blog says
This looks absolutely delicious! Love mixing hot & cold items.
Christine says
Thanks Carolina!
Paula says
This is a lovely and appetizing rice side dish.
Christine says
Thanks Paula!
Katie says
I love mixing cold and hot foods together. This side dish sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to try it!