Christmas Rose & Coconut Porridge Dessert

Seasonal eating part IV

Pomegranates are still in season and since they’re considered a symbol of Christmas in Greece, I wanted to go ahead and give this beautiful fruit (or should I call it nature’s beads) a role in a Christmas Dessert.

What I really love about the plant based kitchen is that conventions about what you should and should not eat at certain moments of the day dissolve. Sometimes I eat sweet meals all day what most people would consider more appropriate as dessert. On the other hand, my desserts are not as sweet as what most people enjoy. So to be honest I couldn’t really decide if to call this rice porridge a dessert or breakfast, but I can assure you that it will look wonderful during Christmas on both your breakfast or brunch table as on your dinner menu.

This recipe is (again) easy to prepare with very few ingredients. With a hint of rose and coconut it has a very mild taste and is gentle on your stomach. Moreover it has a soft, dreamy texture, a virginal white color with Christmassy red pomegranate sprinkles and snowy coconut shred.

Watch the instruction video

Recipe

Serves:            6
Allergens:       dairy-free • gluten-free • sugar-free • soy-free • no added oils
Diet:                Fits within a Whole Food Plant Based diet (Starch Solution, Forks over Knives etc.)

Ingredients

1 cup white risotto rice Rinsed
1 liter water
1 liter plant milk of choice (I used ¾ rice milk and ¼ coconutmilk)
2 tablespoons rice starch
1 tablespoon natural rosewater

Topping
Pomegranate seeds
Coconut shreds

Method:

Cook rinsed rice in 1 liter water;
Once the water is almost completely evaporated (the rice has now already a porridge-like texture) add 1 liter of cold plant milk. Bring to boil;
Mix a couple of tablespoons of the cooking milk with the rice starch;
Add the rice starch and the rosewater to the pan, stir well;
Simmer and cook for about 15 min, until porridge-like texture (the cooking time may vary from stove to stove, so keep an eye on it);
Transfer the porridge in glasses or little bowls, let cool down and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight;

I don’t use any sugar in this recipe because the rice milk has a slight sweet taste and because I don’t think it needs to be sweet, but if you’re not used to sugar free desserts you can add in some sugar the moment you add the milk to the porridge.

This Rose & Coconut Porridge Dessert can easily be made the day or night before, which takes away the pressure off of Christmas preparations.

Have a wonderful Holiday Season.