Spiced Vegan Jasmine Rice Pilaf

I have been cooking rice wrong my entire life. It took Rouxbe’s vegan cooking course to open my eyes to how incredible rice can taste if you actually know how to cook it right! This dish is the result of a recipe assignment I had to complete for the course to the learn the basics of rice cookery.

It is such an art! Truly, I had no idea because I have always just used a rice steamer my entire life. Add rice, add water, press the button. But there is so much more you can do with rice! I love that the Rouxbe provides you with basic cooking techniques, and then encourages you to use those techniques to be creative, experiment and develop your own flavour combinations and recipes.

Of course this can be intimidating as well, but the course builds from one lesson to the next, each in increasing complexity as your skill set develops and grows. So, I went out and tried a new spice called star anise, which is the star-shaped brown spice you see in the photo above, next to the cinnamon sticks.

Star anise smells and tastes like licorice but in a way that seems to enhance the flavours around it. It can be paired with both sweet and savoury dishes (I can’t wait to try it in a creme anglaise) and seems to go really well with cinnamon and ginger. Anyhow, you will be blown away by how flavourful this rice dish is! Everyone in my family loved it and I can assure you it will become a staple in our household!

Happy and healthy cooking!

Spiced Vegan Jasmine Rice Pilaf

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup finely diced shallots
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 -1 tsp sea salt, to taste
• 1/8-1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a 3-quart saucepan over low heat, sweat the shallots in the coconut oil until translucent, about 10-15 minutes.
2. Add in the rice and stir to coat each grain with the oil.
3. Continue to sauté until the rice is translucent, stirring regularly to prevent the rice from burning.
4. Add the turmeric and stir to incorporate.
5. Add the star anise, cinnamon stick, and vegetable stock.
6. Season with salt and pepper, stir well, and bring to a boil.
7. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook undisturbed for 20 minutes.
8. Keeping the pot covered, remove from heat, and let it rest undisturbed for 10 more minutes.
9. Fluff with a fork, adjust seasoning if needed, then serve.

Spiced Vegan Jasmine Rice Pilaf was last modified: January 25th, 2017 by Michelle