Roasted basmati, zucchini, eggplant, basil, tomatoes garnished with pecan nuts. The most delicious vegetable rice with pomegranate sauce you’ve ever eaten!
Preparation:
To cook:
Level: Easy
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- FOR THE POMEGRANATE SAUCE
- ½ Grenade
- ½ Orange, juice and zest
- 50 milliliters Vegan vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons Maple syrup, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon Potato starch (optional)
- Cinnamon, to taste
- FOR THE RICE:
- 1 Eggplant (eggplant)
- 6 tablespoons Olive oil, divided
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 3 cups Water
- 1 Onion, diced
- 1 clove Garlic, grated
- 1 courgettes, grated on a coarse grater
- 5 Small tomatoes, quartered
- ½ Lemon zest
- 100 grams Pecan nuts
- Fresh basil, for serving
Preparation
For the sauce, remove the seeds from the pomegranate, reserving some for garnish later. Add the remaining pomegranate seeds and orange juice to a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and bring to a simmer. Add the vegetable broth and continue to simmer until the pomegranate seeds become soft and glassy. Meanwhile, salt and pepper. After 10 minutes, add the maple syrup.
For the rice, scrape out the inside of the eggplant with a spoon and chop finely. You can rub the eggplant with olive oil and leave it in the oven while cooking and later fill it with the rice.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a second pan and roast the rice in it, until about 2/3 of the grains are nicely browned and starting to smell like popcorn. Add a pinch of salt and the water until the rice is covered by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer another 5-10 minutes until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Depending on the stove, the time this takes may vary. If the rice is still too firm after that, pour in some water and stir. Do not cover the rice with water! Add just a little and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
When there is no more liquid, remove the pan from the hot plate, fold a clean towel and cover the rice with it. Then press the lid down firmly and allow the rice to steam for another 10 minutes. After that, it’s perfect!
While the rice is still simmering, sauté the onions and garlic with the remaining olive oil in a high-sided skillet. Fry until lightly golden. Add vegetables and continue sautéing until cooked. Season with salt and pepper while cooking.
When the rice is almost ready and the veggies are still sauteing, check out the pomegranate sauce. When the seeds have become soft, remove the pan from the heat, stir the sauce in a large container for about 1 minute, then pour it through a sieve into the pan and gently brush the pulp through the sieve so that the sauce is free of any bits of seed.
Now the sauce should simmer for another 5 minutes over medium heat. If you like it a little thicker, sift in the potato starch while stirring. Season with salt, pepper, additional maple syrup if needed, cinnamon and orange zest.
Mix the vegetables with the rice. Make sure the rice to vegetable ratio is around 2:3. Season again with salt, pepper and lemon zest.
Serve on a plate with the reserved pomegranate seeds, pecans and basil and season with the sauce to taste.
