Saffron and Cardamom Rice Pudding

If you are looking to experiment with Indian flavors, this is your book. The author, Rinku Bhattacharya, provides the general population with delicious and easy to prepare dishes packed with flavor and sustainable ingredients. In Spices & Seasons, each recipe is carefully labeled as vegan/vegetarian and/or gluten-free. The index in the back of the book is also separated as such; gluten-free index, vegan/vegetarian index, vegetarian index, and recipe index! I found this to be extremely helpful when trying to pick which dish to make.

It was very difficult to pick a dish due to the large selection of recipes included in the book and how many of them were gluten-free. I finally decided on the Saffron Pistachio Rice Pudding on page 333, with a few minor changes/substitutions. I am in the process of packing up my life and putting most of my belongings in storage for a year as I start my next adventure in NYC, so I wanted to use what I had on hand instead of going out to buy things. Rice pudding can be a fairly simple recipe, but this one was packed with flavor! Oh my goodness...it is delicious and I promise you, you will want to make this. Here are my substitutions: Instead of half and half, I used unsweetened coconut milk, for the white rice I used short grain brown rice, and I did not have pistachios around (trust me those do not last long around me), so instead I diced up some granny smith apple (it added such a delicious, fresh crispness to it). And yes...I do have saffron lying around. :)

I've seen rice pudding be super creamy and I've also seen it where there is some creamy liquid remaining, which is how I prefer to enjoy it (as you can see by the picture below.) If you like more of the liquid, then just cook it for a bit less time, or simply add additional liquid.





Saffron and Cardamom Rice Pudding
by Jenny
Adapted from Spices & Seasons Simple Sustainable Indian Flavors by Rinku Bhattacharya, page 333

4 cups unsweetened coconut milk
4 whole cardamom pods
1/4 cinnamon stick
1/3 cup organic short grain brown rice
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 cup diced Granny Smith apple

In a medium pot, add coconut milk, whole cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, rice, and sugar and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer, uncovered, and stir frequently until it begins to thicken, about 35 minutes.

Remove and discard the whole cardamom pods and cinnamon stick.

Stir in the saffron threads and granny smith apples, cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve with sliced of granny smith apple on top - enjoy!

This is a great cookbook to have in your collection, especially if you or someone you know is either gluten-free, vegetarian, and/or vegan! So many delicious recipes and flavors to experiment with.  

Note: The cookbook was provided to me from the publisher for this review. All comments and opinions are 100% my own.