The key to this salad is the soft-boiled eggs. Make sure you have an ice bath ready to cool the eggs down straight away and stop them cooking. Any combination of rice and grains can be used; pearl barley, and wild rice add nice texture, and it’s a great way to use up any leftover rice.
Serves 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 300g cooked brown rice, or a combination of brown rice, pearl barley, white rice or spelt
• 410g brown canned lentils, drained and rinsed
• 200g green beans, blanched

For the dressing:

• 30g fresh flat leaf parsley (chopped), plus sprigs for garnish
• 30g fresh basil leaves (chopped), plus sprigs for garnish
• 150ml olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• Freshly ground pepper and salt

Method:

For the eggs:

Prepare a bowl with cold water and ice.  Bring a saucepan to the boil with enough water to cover the eggs and add a tablespoon of white vinegar. Reduce heat to a simmer and using a large, slotted spoon lower the eggs into the water and add the bicarbonate of soda (don’t be alarmed it will fizz slightly) Cook for exactly 5 ½ minutes, then scoop out and plunge immediately into the ice bath for 10 minutes until cold. Remove and place on a plate and allow to come to room temperature (this will help them to peel easily).

For the dressing:

Whisk all the ingredients together and set aside until serving.

To serve:

To assemble the salad; toss the rice, lentils and green beans in half of the dressing and arrange on a serving platter. When the eggs are at room temperature, peel and slice in half. Arrange the eggs over the salad and serve with the remaining dressing and extra herbs or micro greens to garnish.