Vibrant and Healthy Mediterranean Salad
Effortless Mediterranean Salad with a CUCKOO Pressure Cooker (Rice Cooker Recipe)
Hello! Discover the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet with this easy-to-make Mediterranean Salad, prepared conveniently using a CUCKOO pressure cooker. This salad is a perfectly balanced meal, packed with fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and protein, making it satisfying and nutritious. The tangy balsamic dressing adds a delightful finish. The CUCKOO Twin Pressure Cooker’s ‘Soaking Function’ is especially useful for softening tough ingredients like chickpeas and oats, making it ideal for Mediterranean salads. Enjoy a wholesome and delicious meal with this innovative rice cooker salad recipe! (*This recipe was sponsored by the product.)
Salad Ingredients- Chickpeas 25g
- Oats 50g
- Baby greens 50g
- Large shrimp 5 pieces
- Cherry tomatoes 4 pieces
- Avocado 1/2 piece
- Yellow bell pepper 1/4 piece
- Red bell pepper 1/4 piece
- Smoked chicken breast 1 pack (approx. 100g)
- Black olives 4 pieces
- Balsamic dressing 50g
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
For today’s Mediterranean Salad, we’ll be using chickpeas, oats, fresh baby greens, plump shrimp, tender smoked chicken breast, creamy avocado, crisp bell peppers, juicy cherry tomatoes, and savory black olives. Feel free to substitute with other vegetables and fruits you have in your refrigerator to create your own unique salad!
Step 2
First, rinse the chickpeas and oats thoroughly. Chickpeas are popular for their low calorie count and high protein content, which helps with satiety, making them excellent for dietary purposes. Oats, recognized as one of the top 10 superfoods by Time magazine, are packed with nutrients that surpass even brown rice and are known for their beneficial effects on various adult diseases.
Step 3
Place the rinsed oats and chickpeas into the inner pot of your CUCKOO Twin Pressure Cooker and add 1 cup (approx. 180ml) of water. The CUCKOO’s Eco Stainless Steel Curved inner pot is designed with a 60-degree curved shape that promotes vigorous heat convection, contributing to delicious rice and optimal cooking conditions for various dishes.
Step 4
Turn the ‘Locking Handle’ on the lid to the ‘High Pressure’ setting. As you can see it has both high and low pressure options, confirming it’s the Twin Pressure model. The CUCKOO Electric Pressure Cooker Twin Pressure features dual pressure technology, allowing you to choose between ultra-high pressure and low pressure to achieve the desired texture for your rice and other dishes. High pressure results in a chewy and sticky texture, while low pressure yields a moist and fluffy texture.
Step 5
For multi-grain rice, utilize the ‘Soaking Function.’ Select the ‘Chewy Multi-grain’ mode, press ‘High Pressure Cook,’ and within 5 seconds, press the ‘Reservation’ button to enter the ‘Soaking Setting’ mode. Each press of the ‘Reservation’ button cycles through soaking times: 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and no soaking. Set your desired soaking time (e.g., 60 minutes) and after 5 seconds, the selected soaking time will be applied. Since chickpeas can be quite firm, we’ll set them to soak for 60 minutes. Once the soaking is complete, the CUCKOO will automatically proceed with cooking.
Step 6
You’ll see a display indicating ‘5 minutes left for soaking,’ after which the cooker will automatically start the cooking process.
Step 7
While the grains are cooking, prepare the other salad ingredients. Dice the yellow and red bell peppers into bite-sized cubes. Halve the cherry tomatoes.
Step 8
Avocado, often called ‘the butter of the forest,’ is rich in over 20 vitamins and minerals. Its creamy texture and nutty flavor make it a versatile ingredient in many dishes. To prepare an avocado, cut it in half around the seed, twist the halves to separate them, and then insert the knife tip into the seed and twist to easily remove it. Important tip: Avocados are climacteric fruits and need to ripen off the tree. If it’s still bright green, it’s not ready to eat; wait until it turns a darker brown color. For immediate use, purchase avocados that have already turned brown.
Step 9
To easily remove the avocado flesh from the skin, insert a thin spoon between the flesh and the peel and run it around the inside of the skin to scoop out the flesh cleanly.
Step 10
Slice the prepared avocado thinly.
Step 11
Peel and devein the shrimp. You can insert a skewer through the shrimp to keep it straight while cooking, but it’s also perfectly fine to simply boil them. Add 2 tablespoons of cooking wine (like Cheongju) to boiling water and cook the shrimp until they turn pink and opaque, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the water and immediately plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking process. If you used a skewer, remove it.
Step 12
You can choose to remove the tail part of the shrimp, but leaving it on can make the presentation more attractive.
Step 13
Slice the cooked shrimp lengthwise for easier eating in the salad.
Step 14
To make the smoked chicken breast more tender, wrap it in plastic wrap and microwave it for about 1 minute.
Step 15
Let it cool slightly, then slice it.
Step 16
While we were preparing the ingredients, the oat and chickpea rice cooked in the CUCKOO pressure cooker is ready! Thanks to the 2-bar ultra-high pressure and IH high-heat power, the chickpeas, which can often be tough, are surprisingly soft and perfectly cooked. Chickpeas are notoriously difficult to cook evenly, but the pressure cooker handled it flawlessly.
Step 17
Allow the cooked oat and chickpea rice to cool completely. Adding warm rice to a salad can affect the freshness of the other ingredients.
Step 18
Arrange all the prepared ingredients beautifully on a serving plate or in a bowl. The colorful combination of ingredients makes for a visually appealing dish.
Step 19
Here is the finished Mediterranean Salad, made with the CUCKOO Electric Pressure Cooker, featuring a harmonious blend of fresh vegetables, healthy grains, and delicious protein! Drizzle with tangy balsamic dressing and enjoy.
