Pumpkin Spiced Rice.
This is an attractive looking dish. It can be served hot or cold, and can be prepared the previous day. It has little or no fat, depending on how you cook the pumpkin.
The recipe makes 6 generous serves at 225 calories per serve if the pumpkin is steamed.
570g. pumpkin
1 medium onion
2 large cloves of garlic
1 heaped teaspoon of curry powder
1 cup of uncooked rice
2 Tablespoons of currants or craisins
1/4 cup of toasted slivered almonds
1 cup of baby spinach leaves
2 Tablespoons of chicken stock
Cut pumpkin into 2cm. dice and steam in Varoma until cooked, or spray with oil and roast in oven. Set aside.
Cook rice in TMX, set aside.
Put onion and garlic in TMX bowl and zap until chopped. Scrape down sides and add chicken stock. Cook on varoma for 5 mins., gentle reverse. Add curry powder and zap to mix in.
Place everything in a large bowl and turn the mixture over to mix together, Make sure the onion mixture is well incorporated.
Sprinkle the almonds over the top and serve.
If preparing for the next day, and you wish to serve it hot, then don't stir in the spinach leaves until it is reheated. It reheats well in the Microwave.
I used some Wild rice and white rice. You could use brown rice if preferred.
Members' comments
JD: I made this earlier in the day and as per Chookie's suggestion, left the spinach leaves out until I reheated it. I did sprinkle it with toasted almond slivers but only remembered them after I'd taken the picture and begun eating my meal
I made 1/2 quantity - 2 sides for me. Whilst the rice was cooking in the TMX I cooked the oil sprayed 2 cm pieces of pumpkin in a preheated 200o air fryer for 10 minutes in the base of the wire basket. It would have been ready 2 minutes before that though as it was a tad dark by the time I checked on it (but not a burnt taste in the finished dish).
I reheated the rice in a shallow dish placed in the varoma tray whilst the salmon was cooking below in the varoma dish (12 minutes/varoma temp/speed 3 with 600 mls boiling water)
Lisa.wheeler: I'm guessing to make this a vegetarian meal you would replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock
JD: Chookie has used a weight watching method of sauteeing the onion and garlic here but you could also use a little oil and of course, veggie stock instead of chicken stock (liquid stock not veggie stock concentrate).
