Pineapple and cabbage rice salad

Although this salad was made a few weeks back, it would have been great for last week's humid weather.  This is tropical summer salad with a balmy Asian flavour.  I even added some edible flowers from the garden (Johnny jump-ups which my mum told me grows like weeds!)

The salad was made at the end of a busy weekend of getting the house in order: scrubbing our manky old shower, hanging out washing, sorting old files, taking my bike in for service (and finding it needed to much work and so I needed to think about cycling options)!  I cooked dinner while the Australian open tennis was on, between making morning tea for work.  I felt so good about having a few days of dinners packed until I looked at the dishes.  It wasn't a pretty sight!

But let's talk about the salad.  It was made to use up some things in the fridge like purple cabbage and half a pineapple and some limes. Although I did wish my mint was more bountiful.

I had an epiphany and decided to substitute ponzu sauce for fish sauce.  In the past I have used ume plum vinegar.  I still had some in the back of the shelves.  But when I checked the use by date it was 2009.  Oops.  How time flies!  Ponzu is my latest love and has that salty sharp taste that I imagine is fish sauce. 

I found the salad needed slightly more flavour.  Perhaps because I ate it as a main and the recipe was meant to accompany meat.  So I added more pineapple and dressing (adjusted for my tastes in the recipe below).  I think this helped it last a few days. It was colourful and crunchy and juicy and a little tart and salty.  Perfect for summer!

More savoury pineapple dishes on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Fried rice (gf, v)
Peach and pineapple salsa (gf, v)
Pineapple and banana chutney (gf)
Sausage curry casserole (v)
Shamburger pizza (v)

Pineapple and cabbage rice salad
Adapted from taste.com
Serves 4

Salad dressing:
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 1/2 tablespoons ponzu sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar

Salad:
3 cups cooked basmati rice
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1/2 large fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/3 cup salted roasted cashews
1-2 tbsp coconut shreds or flakes
Mint sprigs, extra, to serve

Mix well the lime juice, ponzu sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl.   Mix half of this dressing with the rice and set the rest aside.

Place cabbage, pineapple, cherry tomatoes, spring onion and mint leaves on the rice and toss together.  Scatter with cashews and coconut.  Drizzle with remaining dressing.

Notes: If you don't have cooked rice, cooked 1 cup of dried basmati and set aside to cool while you chop vegies and put together the dressing.

On the stereo:
Blame: Naked Raven