Spiced rice is a special rice I’ve created because me and my boyfriend always like to season food or use as many herbs as spices as we can. We are not big fans of eating rice without spices or vegetables. This spiced rice has become one of our favorites and I cook this recipe at least once a week.
Growing up my mother used to cook rice with the demi glace that she used to make from cooking meat with spices and onions in the pressure cooker. That was one of my favorite recipes. So keeping that in mind, I tried to create that classic recipe of hers, without meat. Instead this recipe has the best umami flavor and is totally plant based.
It has all the flavors because of the spices and it’s amazing when combined with the orange sauce. During autumn, I like to make the pomegranate version of the sauce because they are typically on season and are such a good addition to the rice. Trust me the orange or pomegranate sauce gives this dish another special taste.
How to cook Spiced Rice with Orange Sauce?
Making this recipe takes about 20 minutes. You just have to cook onions with the delicious spices, before adding the rice. Then add tamari, red wine vinegar and maple syrup and let the rice absorb all the flavor. Add water and let it cook for about 15 minutes until the rice is soft. Serve it with fresh orange slices, orange sauce and nuts of your choice. We have tried roasted almonds and pine nuts and they are both amazing with this recipe.
How do you like to eat your Spiced Rice ? Let us know on the comments below. Don’t forget to follow us on our social media so you will be updated every time we post new recipes.
More recipes like this on the blog:
Earthy Mushroom & Pumpkin Risotto (30 minutes)
Christmas stuffed pumpkin [vegan]
Spiced Rice with Orange Sauce is a new way of cooking rice that you will love experimenting with. You can add more spices of your choice and still taste the umami flavor of this dish. It is perfect for a healthy lunch or dinner. Orange sauce is the best combination with the rice, so it helps your palate taste all the great flavors from the spices.
Serves: 4
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
For the Spiced Rice
- 2 cups uncooked rice (long or short grain, I used short grain rice)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 cups of water (or vegetable broth)
- salt and pepper
For the Orange Sauce
- 2 tbsp tahini
- juice of half an orange
- pinch of turmeric
- salt and pepper
Preparation
- In a pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and when the oil is heated add onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Let it cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add all the spices to the pot and let it cook for another 2 minutes with onion and garlic before adding the rice.
- Stir well so the rice gets evenly coated with spices. Then add tamari, maple syrup and red wine vinegar. Stir the rice so it can absorb the liquids for about 1 minute.
- Add the water and let cook for about 15 minutes until the rice is soft and cooked properly.
- Meanwhile in a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the orange dressing and whisk it so it becomes creamy. Set it aside.
- Serve the rice warm with a generous drizzle of orange sauce, toasted nuts and fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute maple syrup with date syrup or coconut blossom or brown sugar.
- You can substitute tamari with soy sauce.
- You can add more spices or remove some, depending on what you have on hands.
