Christmas is this week. Yes. It is in 3 days :O How can that be! I love this season and just the feeling surrounding it. Everything seems more beautiful (even if it is unnecessarily rushed). It always makes me pause and see those little bits of beauty in the more mundane things. A simple recipe with a most common whole grain: rice. You wouldn't think to showcase it simply boiled and plated, but cook it with some glorious aromatic flavors and the beauty will take your breath away.
December’s Theme: Grab a Book & Cook - It’s the end of the year and we’re taking a moment to reflect: ReDux has been around for 42 months! (Can you believe some of you have ReDux-ed 42 recipes?) To celebrate, we’re playing a little party game this month: Grab your nearest cookbook and ReDux the recipe on page 42 or 142. We can’t wait to see the books you’re cooking from these days – and how you make that recipe healthier.
I wanted to pick a random cookbook from my ever-growing collection. I love cookbooks! They are just so beautiful and bursting with inspiration. I chose The Indian Vegan Kitchen, by: Madhu Gadia
. I also chose the recipe on page 142 for inspiration. I didn't follow the recipe much at all, but used the theme of the flavorings and spices mostly.
So speaking of beautiful things, I think Indian cuisine is one of the most beauty in terms of culinary colors, flavors, and aromas. My spice cabinet is always stocked with the essential Indian spices. The smells and flavors always just amaze me by how simply beautiful they can make a dish. You can take any boring ingredient, like rice, and make it something so much more.
Chana Masala is my favorite dish of all time. It really is. Probably one of the easiest Indian dishes to make too. This time I found that dried fruit rice pretty intriguing though. It sounded not only beautifully spiced, but also perfect for the holidays. However, I took it to a whole other level by cooking it in coconut milk, adding pomegranate instead of dried fruits, nixed the nuts, kept the spices, added fresh mint, and changed the type of rice used.
I've never cooked with coconut milk before either. And let me tell you, that was a mistake! I have now unlocked that perfect secret to the most flavorful creamy rice! Substitute half the amount of liquid for coconut milk and you will be in flavor heaven. This rice came out perfectly probably for the fact that I also cooked it way ahead of dinner time so I wasn't rushing, and actually let it cook and steam for the correct amount of time! I never do that with rice. 45 to 50 minutes is just way to long! But if you do it ahead of time when you have the time, it really does make all the difference for perfect fluffy soft rice!
Since I told you on Friday to make some room on your Christmas menu for this one, I hope you listened! Step away from the traditional sides and bring some exotic international flavor to the table! Not only is this dish elegant to look at, but it smell and taste beautiful too! You will wow your family, friends, guests, anyone you have in the house with this one I assure you.
Indian Christmas Rice
Ingredients: (serves 4-6)
+ 1 Cup Water
+ 1 Cup Lite Culinary Coconut Milk
+ 1 Cup Country Wild Rice
(Rinsed)
+ 1 Cinnamon Stick
+ 1 Bay Leaf
+ ⅛ Tsp Cardamom
+ ⅛ Tsp Cloves
+ ⅛ tsp Cumin
+ ½ Cup Fresh Pomegranate Arils
+ 2 TB Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
+ 2 TB Chopped Fresh Mint Leaves
Directions:
+ In a medium pot, add the first 8 ingredients. Cover and bring the pot to a boil on the stove. Then reduce the heat to simmer for 45-50 minutes.
+ When the rice is done and the liquid is absorbed, remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Put the cover back on the pot and let sit for 10 minutes.
+ In the meantime, seed your pomegranate. I like to grab a large bowl, fill it with water, cut the pom in half or fourths and de-seed with my fingers under the water. This will allow the seeds to sink to the bottom while the white skin and pith with float to the top, allowing you to skim that off and then drain the seeds in a colander. It also make things less messy with no staining!
+ Now add the pomegranate, chopped mint, and coconut to the pot. Fluff everything with a fork and serve!
I hope you get to make and enjoy this one! It was surprisingly a crowd-pleaser with my family of non-foodies! My mom AND brother loved it! They usually shy away from the exotic flavors, but I knew they had to love this one! I also know I will be making this again ASAP! Now get cooking and start creating beautiful things in the kitchen! Christmas is about the love, family, joy, and the beauty in everything. From the tree to the rice, everything is beautiful!
So tell me:
+ Do you have your Christmas dinner menu all planned out? No...I do not! :O
+ Have you ever cooked with coconut milk?
+ Are you as impatient with rice like I am? Those wild blend just take forever, but taste so good!
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Raia
That's some beautiful wild rice, Rebecca. 😉 Thanks for sharing it at Savoring Saturdays!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you!
Emily @amummytoo
Fantastic idea and the little pomegranate seed jewels make it really pretty. #recipeoftheweek
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Yes! All pretty! Thanks Emily!
Marla
Hi Rebecca,
Just a note to let you know that I have chosen your post as one of my features for this weeks Real Food Fridays blog hop that goes live tonight @ 7pm EST. Looking forward to seeing your great post for this week Have a healthy happy week.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Marla!
Mandy
This looks and sounds absolutely beautiful! #tastytuesdays
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you so much Mandy! XOXO
Honest mum
So vibrant and wonderful, thanks for linking this up again, such a fab post. Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you!
vegetarianmamma (Cindy)
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays Party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂 I can't wait to see what you share next time!
-Cindy
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Cindy.
Stephanie
Such a beautiful dish!! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you!
Angie
This looks so interesting - I love Indian food!! I found your lovely blog on the Saturday Soiree blog hop
Thanks
Angie
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you so much Angie! Indian food is the best!
Gentle Joy
This looks good.... thank you. 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank YOU!
Bethany
This looks really interesting and pretty!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Bethany!
Robyn @ simply fresh dinners
Hi Rebecca,
Great site and great recipe! I LOVE all the spices and flavours you have included in this dish. I am imagining the taste and I know it will be fantastic. Happy New Year! Visiting from Real Food Fridays.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you so much Robyn 🙂 You are so kind!
Nicole Neverman
I absolutely adore rice pudding and I LOVE the flavors you have packed into this beautiful pudding.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Well this is not rice pudding, but thank you!
Erlene
What a beautiful rice dish. We eat a lot of rice at our house, but it's usually just plain or Spanish style. Thanks for the idea to mix it up a bit.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
This sweet and subtly spiced will totally win your tastebuds then!
Kelly- Simple Life Mom
This looks so AMAZING! Color adds so much to a dish. Great ideas!
Thanks for stopping by the Homestead blog Hop, we hope to see you again this Wednesday. 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
It does! We always have to make a dish pretty, right? 😉
Arman @ thebigmansworld
Omg no joke I'm catching up on blogs now from Christmas and have an Indian style rice recipe to share later (stolen from my mum who will totally claim it's Persian but no- she's wrong). This looks insane and I love how you added Pomegranate to it (my mum would claim the Persians invented that too but no. She is wrong). Pinned.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Hahahaha, seriously, I bet your mom is one of the coolest people 😉
And thank you so much Arman!
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog
So I'm not big on Indian cuisine but this sounds really good!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Well if you like coconut and warm spices...you will love this one my friend! 😉
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table
OMG! I want this for dinner!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, make it ASAP!
kimmythevegan
Beautiful! Love the idea of the Indian spices combining with the pomegranate and fresh mint! I can't believe you never cooked with coconut milk before! It makes the best curry sauces for stirfries. Mmmm.
Also - the trick to perfect & fluffy rice every time, soak it a few hours ahead of cooking it. It seriously shaves the cooking time down too! My soaked rice tends to cook in about 20 minutes. Great trick - you just have to remember to soak ;p
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I know! Shame on me! And I am such a huge lover of curries....I need to do it the right way now 😉
Yes....I know that too, but then I have to plan before hand....;) Either way is a struggle....but worth it 😉
kimmythevegan
Ps. this recipe is being featured on Healthy Vegan Fridays tomorrow =)
Thanks so much for sharing! I am pinning this to the board too!
Cindys Recipes and Writings
Rice and coconut milk go great together!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
They totally do!
Laura
This sounds soooooo good! I might be super lazy and do it without the pomegranate seeds (currently only have one hand for cooking so there's no way I'd be able to get them out) but I think I might make it for dinner tonight!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
O that's exciting! If you have time, go out and pick up some pre-seeded! That won't requirw any work 😉
Jennifer Weinberg MD (@SimplePureWhole)
Very festive! Merry Christmas!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Jennifer! Merry Christmas!
RFC
This dish looks delicious! I am so NOT a cook. I don't have the patience for it. But I'm going to pass the recipe on to my family members who do enjoy cooking, and maybe they'll make it for me, haha 😉 Merry Christmas!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, thank you friend 😉
As long as you get to eat it some way, ehy 😉
Merry Christmas! XOXO
Glenda @ Healthy Stories
This looks really interesting, and so colourful too.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Glenda! I love the pop of color from the pomegranate!
Honest mum
This looks beautiful, so pretty and I bet totally fragrant too! A masterpiece! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays. Merry Christmas x
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
It does smell out of this world! Thank you!!
Jendi
My husband enjoys plain white rice with a lot of our meals, but I prefer flavored rice. Looks like an interesting recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I bet he'll like this one! You can use a white rice if you prefer even!
genevieve @ gratitude & greens
This sounds so delicious! I love Indian spices, too. And I'm a sucker for anything with coconut so I know I'll love this! My boyfriend's family gets Chinese food on Christmas Eve because they're Jewish (very reformed), but we're having a meal that's pretty similar to what we had on Thanksgiving. Happy holidays!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you! You totally will love this then!
Well that's fun! Haha, we always used to have Chinese food on New Years Eve!
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
Christmas dinner is all planned but wow this sounds so good!! Merry Christmas x #TastyTuesdays
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Woohoo! Having it all planned = hopefully more time to relax 😉
Thank you and Merry Christmas as well! XOXO
jill conyers
Yes! My menu is planned. Less stress that way with house guests and busyness. I love the texture and flavor cooking with coconut milk adds to a recipe.
Happy holidays Rebecca 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
If you're hosting, having a plan way in advance would helpful, hahaha!
Thank Jill! Happy Holidays! XOXO
Melanie @ Nutritious Eats
Yes to coconut milk- I have a few recipes I really like with it, Butternut squash soup blending with coconut milk and curries. This sounds lovely and I have no clue what we are having. Going to make a list in the morning and head to the store! Eek! Have a very Merry Christmas!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Ah, butternut and coconut sound heavenly! I just went to the grocery last night to pick up my things and it was a horror! Good luck my friend! I wish you well 😉
michelle h
I have all but the pomegranate for this recipe in my cupboard right now. Definitely trying it out this week.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Exciting!!! Let me know when you get that pomegranate!
Rebecca
YUM! So many of my favorite flavors here!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I loved cooking with the cinnamon stick too since it's my favorite spice!
rachel
No. No. and No. 😉 I don't have Christmas dinner menu planned... I am planning on heading north to Oregon to visit family. No, I havent cooked with coconut milk... but I have drank it (andn used it in smoothies). No, I am not patient with rice either. 😉
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
No shame in not having to plan then 😉 Kick back and enjoy the food!
You must cook with it now too!
If only you could make quality rice in the microwave 😉 But than it's not the "real" kind anymore 😉
Rebecca @ MyEagerFeet
Whenever I make rice, it's of the bagged variety, so I don't really need patience! My family has cranberry beef every year for our Christmas dinner. I do pick around the cranberries, but it infuses the beef with a really delicious flavor. (Plus it looks festive!)
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Hahaha! You're like my brother....although he can't make bagged rice either 😛
Girl, your cheating yourself out of the best part! Cranberries!!!
Francesca
Absolutely gorgeous! Pinning, but rather be eating. Happy Holidays 😀
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha! Thank you Francesca 😉 Happy Holidays!!!
Farrah
I'm still in denial about it being almost Christmas. :O This looks so, so good! <3 I love how festive it looks! 😀 I love coconut milk in pretty much anything. Maybe this'll be what I make when I run off to the cat shelter for Christmas! :D!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Girl, I am too! There is just no way it is in 3 days!
Make it, make it! Hahaha 😉
MCM Mama
This sounds really yummy. I love creamy rice, so I imagine I would adore rice made with coconut milk! I'm putting this on my list for trying in the new year.
As far as Christmas dinner, if I don't get my act together, it's going to be leftovers from the freezer. Oops.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Yay! Go for it! Let me know if you do give it a try 😉
Hahaha, I just bought some random ingredients at the grocery today....hopefully I can pull a few things together tomorrow! Otherwise...freezer for me too!
Diatta @ Femme Fitale Fit Club
Ah yes cooking rice with coconut milk is awesome. Many Caribbean dishes are prepared that way. I also cook stir fry with coconut milk. That rice looks delish!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I'd love to make some Thai curries next with coconut milk! So many cuisines use it!
Kerri Olkjer
LOVE cooking with coconut milk!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I think I do too now! Haha!
Emily @SinfulNutrition
Looks so festive! Love all those spices too. 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Erin! These small amounts of spices go SUCH a long way!
GiGi Eats
Baked with coconut milk, yes, cooked with it, no.
And as for XMAS dinner, not a clue. We aren't really celebrating this year, so at most, we will probably at least sit at the dining table together - LOL!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Cook with it! And I need to bake with it now!
Any nice dinner will be good with friends and family!
Janice- The Fitness Cheerleader
Looks delicious! I absolutlely love Indian food - thanks for sharing the cookbook and recipe.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Janice! XOXO
dixya | food, pleasure, and health
thanks for introducing an Indian cookbook because I am on the lookout for one! This rice dish looks so comforting..
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I love this book....vegan AND my favorite cuisine!
Thanks love!
Emily @ Zen & Spice
Yum! I haven't had much Indian food because I never know how to cook it! But this looks delicious. The only thing I've ever made with coconut milk is Popsicles but I for sure want to use it more!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Kill to birds with one stone then and make Indian food with coconut milk, haha! 😉
Laura@ Fit Running Mama
Yum!! Love all those spices and flavors!! Perfect dish
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Laura! XOXO
Amanda - RunToThefinish
OHHH what a fun idea for a dessert or breakfast!! I haven't ever heard of this before!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Hahaha....didn't think of that one! This is a dinner side dish!
Lauren @ Bite of Health
I am always trying to think of ways to do something different with rice, and I love your uce of coconut milk! Yum!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
It really makes rice just OUT of this world good!
GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth
This sounds so good! Indian food is one of my favourites as well. Gonna have to try to slip this onto my Christmas menu at home haha
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you! And you totally should 😉 EVERYONE will love it!
Sharon Rowe
I'm popping over from How To Get Organized At Home and just wanted to say thank you for sharing this looks gorgeous.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you!
Sarah
Yum! That looks so good! We had a lot of Indian food in Ireland, surprisingly. I need to start making some Indian food.
We host Christmas Eve and it has gotten so big and we always have a huge meal that I spend days planning and preparing but this year with so much going on I decided to do Appetizers and so far I am thinking this is the best idea ever. Still trying to narrow it down to what to make but we have time. 😉
I always cook with coconut milk, So Delicious Culinary Coconut Milk is my favorite because it is so thick and creamy and there isn't a lot of the water that needs to be drained off, usually NONE!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, Indian food in Ireland! That's awesome!
I'm still not sure about the dishes I will be making for Christmas Eve/Christmas dinner! I am going shopping today though and have some loose ideas for some new recipes!
So Delicious is the best!
Tina Muir
What a great idea! So very festive! I would never have thought of Indian rice being christmassy, but when you make it like this, it kinda is! Thanks for joining us in the meatless monday linkup! Have a wonderful christmas!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, right! Just a way to bring some exotic flare to the Christmas table 😉
Thanks Tina and have a beautiful holiday as well!
Courtney from A Life From Scratch
Looks super yummy! Thanks for sharing on the Real Food Recipes link party.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you!
Deanna Segrave-Daly
So so pretty and digging all the flavors you got going on here - very unique!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Deanna 🙂
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious
Yum! I've never had Indian food. This looks amazing!!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
You need to fix that ASAP!
Linda @ Veganosity
Yum! I adore Indian food and this looks delicious! Coconut milk is amazing, I'm so happy you tried it. 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you!!!
I am so happy I did too, haha!
Heidi Fowler
It's probably been 15 years since I've eaten real Indian food. This sounds so good!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Heidi!
Elsie @ Sharing Healthiness
I have never been a fan of Indian food because those spices make my tummy crazy but I have never heard of Sweet Indian Rice dishes! Now I am all excited!
Coconut milk is new to me. I love to drink it so I am guessing I will love to cook with it too 😉
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Not all Indian food has to be crazy heavy and "spicy"!
And culinary coconut milk is different than cartoned drinking coconut milk 😉
Chaitali
This looks beautiful! I've never tried cooking rice in coconut milk before, though I've used coconut milk in vegetable curries. I'll definitely have to give this one a try.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I wasn't sure how it would come out in the end, but I just put the lid on and hoped for the best! Good thing it worked out beautifully 😉 Haha!
Rachelle Himmelman
What a great flavor combination, looks delish!! <3
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you! XOXO
Natalie
This looks great! I need to get an Indian cookbook (although I'm terrible about actually using cookbooks) because I love indian flavors but never make anything with them. And I think coconut milk is the secret to creamy anything!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, yes! I have a bazillion cookbooks, but never actually make anything from them! But that never stops me from getting and wanting more! I just love looking at and reading them, hahahaha! 😉
Nothing beats the flavors and aromas of Indian cooking!
Jennifer F
yum, so festive looking
!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Jennifer 😉
Kelly
What a flavorful rice! I love Indian food...this sounds like it would be right up my alley. Thank you for sharing!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Kelly! You will totally love this then!
Alanna
This is such a beautiful rice dish. I've been telling myself I need to experiment more with Indian cooking...then I end up going to Whole Foods for my quick and easy fix. I've recently been cooking more with coconut milk and it makes everything delicious!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Dive into the world of Indian cooking! You won't go back to Whole Foods 😉 All the amazing flavors just make it SO much fun!
I was really surprised by how awesome the coconut milk was! But I totally shouldn't have been! I love all things coconut!
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner
Looks like a great flavor combination! Thanks for sharing and thanks for linking up with us again this week for MM.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Deborah!
Michele @ paleorunningmomma
I love cooking with coconut milk, totally puts that creamy texture back into foods that used to have dairy for me, and the flavor is great too!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I'm going to start using it A LOT more often now!
Emily @My Healthyish Life
I've never cooked with (or eaten!) pomegranates before. But I love adding fruit to rice or quinoa.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
WHAT!? What have you been doing all your life! That's crazy girl! Get on the pomegranate train stat! It is a winter fruit MUST!
Jen
I absolutely love rice. Earlier this year my Hubby gave me a rice cooker and I use it incessantly. I am going to spend Christmas Eve with my family and I know they are preparing a dinner that is not vegan. I'm thinking of bringing a gorgeous side dish like this that everyone will like and I can eat too! I often cook with coconut milk, especially when I'm working with curry. This is my first time hearing about recipe ReDux - it sounds like a fun way to play with food! Wishing you and your family a happy holiday season and looking forward to more of your fabulous recipes next year!
Jen
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I love my rice cooker too! Although I use it more for cooking beans than I do rice, haha!
Coconut milk is really that extra special ingredient to so many wonderful authentic Indian dishes!
I hope you have a wonderful holiday as well! With beautiful food, love, and laughter! XOXOXOXO
Lisa Pytell
So PRETTY and delicious! 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you 😉 XOXO