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A quick weeknight meal is like gold to me. This pumpkin coconut rice (which happens to be golden!) is a perfect quick grain that takes minimal prep time, and cooks on auto-pilot for about 45 minutes as you prep your veggies, or whatever else you’re having for dinner.
This particular rice dish comes out “saucy,” meaning that not all of the liquid will absorb into the grains when they’re done cooking. That’s OK! This just means that there’s still plenty of flavor to go around if you want to mix in some plain steamed veggies or tofu to round out the meal.
The pumpkin puree adds a bit of heft and heartiness to this rice dish. It scratches the “pumpkin spice everything” itch that we all seem to have around this time of year. I use Libby’s Organic pumpkin puree. Even though it’s from a can, the only ingredient in that can is “organic pumpkin,” so don’t feel like I’m adding a bunch of processed garbage to the meal with this stuff! And let’s face it – sometimes we have the energy to roast a whole pumpkin, but other times we don’t! Canned is the perfect shortcut. Thanks for doing the dirty work for me, Libby!
When I made this meal, I used that cook time to pan-fry some maple-glazed tofu (recipe coming soon!), fresh zucchini and black-eyed peas. Then, when the rice was done, I heaped a couple of spoonfuls of rice into a bowl and topped it with the veggies, beans and tofu, and dinner was served! It was incredibly warm and satisfying on this cool autumn day. This dish would be great with any grain as a base. While I used brown basmati rice, I think other types of rice, quinoa or even couscous would work, and would result in a shorter cook time. Use your imagination to make this dish your own! Would pair nicely with Kik Alicha, or other Ethiopian Stews that I’ve made in the past.
The pumpkin base and no-fuss meal prep make this the perfect dish to toss on the stove before running out to trick-or-treat with the kids! So satisfy your inner Vegan Zombie with some grains to fortify yourself against whatever mayhem lies ahead of you this Halloween!
Pumpkin Coconut Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups long-grain brown rice
- 4 cloves of garlic crushed
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- approx. 2 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 1 15- oz can of coconut milk
- 1 cup pureed pumpkin I use Libby’s organic canned pumpkin
- 2 tbsp madras curry powder
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sugar or agave syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
Instructions
- Over medium heat, water-fry the onions until they become translucent
- Add the garlic and ginger and continue to water-sauté until they become aeromatic (about 4-6 minutes)
- Add the pumpkin and combine. Then mix in the can of coconut milk, a can of water (preferably already boiled from the kettle), and the curry powder, tumeric, mustard, onion powser, garlic powder, sugar, salt and ancho chili powder.
- Mix in the rice, but do not over-stir. Bring mixture back to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover.
- Cook approximately 45 minutes until the rice becomes tender (according to the instructions of your brand of brown rice). Note: the mixture will be “saucy.” Not all of the liquid will absorb into the rice, and that’s ok! Be careful not to overcook the grains. Mix together to make sure sauce is distributed evenly, and serve.