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Actually, the rice doesn't really harden so much as it gets a bit dry if you leave the salad too long without dressing. The trick is to dress the rice right away, while it's still warm, with oil and a bit of vinegar or lemon - it absorbs everything better and stays soft. Then when you take it out of the fridge the next day, add another drizzle of oil and maybe a splash of cold water if needed, mix it well and it'll be fine again.
Cold rice doesn't actually get hard, what happens is it absorbs moisture from the air and becomes sticky if you don't cover it properly. Whoever says to dress it right away is right, but the real point is storage: always cover the salad with foil or a lid, otherwise the rice dries out and gets hard from contact with air. If you make it the day before, a trick is to add a little extra oil compared to usual when you want to eat it again, mix it well and it becomes soft right away.
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