I discovered this wonderful dish when it was served to me on a Finn Air flight. I loved it so much I developed my own interpretation!

This rice salad is garnished with mandarin oranges and pecans, and is served with hard cooked eggs, herring (from a jar) or salmon, and rye crackers or bread with butter. It is a fabulous lunch or a light supper.

This dish requires very little cooking, and it can all be done in advance. For 4-6 servings you will need about 3 cups of cooked rice and 4-6 hard cooked eggs.

(You can make your own rice or you can use any leftover plain white rice you might have from an Indian or Chinese take-out meal that you had the day before.)

Make the dressing for the rice first.

Combine:

½ cup plain yogurt (I use Greek yogurt)

2 tablespoons of rice vinegar

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of dried dill

Rice Vinegar has a very mild flavor. You could use plain white vinegar, but I would definitely use less. (Maybe only 2 teaspoons!)

Add the rice to the dressing, then add:

3 tablespoons of chopped parsley

3 tablespoons of chopped green onion

And a sprinkle of salt and pepper

This all can get done in advance.

When you are ready to serve your rice salad, be sure to assemble each plate in the kitchen, and present the plate as a done deal. Don’t put all the separate bits into serving dishes and let everyone help themselves. Each plate should have lots of eye appeal!

Put a spoonful of rice on the plate.

Garnish with some drained, cold, mandarin oranges and some pecans.

Cut the hard cooked egg into wedges and add to the plate.

Drain the herring from the jar and add that too!

Use some of the leftover parsley for extra garnish.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Cheers!

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