This vegan rice pilaf is one of my favourite recipes and was even the first dish I learned how to cook. Obviously, it’s not hard to prepare!
This light meal is perfect during the hot summer days but also in winter, it always tastes so good due to all the spices in it! By the way, if you love spiced rice, try out my Jeera Rice Recipe!
A pilaf, also spelled pilau (in the UK), is an oriental rice dish where the rice is cooked in broth and spices are added. It is similar to Briyani (Indian rice dish) or also paella (Spanish seafood rice dish).
The most important part of this dish is that the rice doesn’t stick together. So, ideally, the rice doesn’t adhere and stays separate and fluffy after being cooked.
And how we can achieve that, I’ll explain later on. But first, let’s have a look at what we need!
Ingredients
- vegetables (zucchini, capsicum, peas)
- Basmati rice
- spices (cinnamon stick, whole cloves, bay leaves)
- ginger & garlic (and onion, optional)
- vegetable broth
- nuts (and dried fruit, optional)
The best part of this recipe: you can change all of the ingredients! Don’t like zucchinis/courgettes? Take cauliflower instead (or whatever veg you love). Don’t have all the spices? Use a different combination! Leave some out, add some more!
Really, whatever you like! The recipe for this vegan rice pilaf is really that versatile. This also means the way I suggest it is only one way to make it :).
Vegetables: I like using zucchinis, capsicum/bell pepper, peas and celery. Simply because I like this variation and that’s how I’ve been making it for years.
But any veggies are fine! Like broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, eggplant/aubergine, carrots, etc. With those bulkier vegetables, just make sure to cut them into smaller pieces, so they cook quicker (unless you like them a bit crispier).
Spices: My favourite combination is cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. However, some people also add other spices to their pilafs. Like cardamom, coriander or cumin (see substitutions for quantities).
Rice: Basmati rice, which is traditionally used, is the easiest to prepare, adds flavour, and tends to be less sticky than other kinds of rice.
Instructions
Step One. Prepare your rice. This is technically optional but it may help to achieve fluffier rice. We rinse the rice thoroughly to remove the starch or any debris. Then we soak it for about 10-15 minutes in some water (enough to cover the rice). After that, you drain the rice through a sieve.
Step Two. Meanwhile, prepare your veggies: Cut the zucchini in quarters, lengthwise, and slice. Dice capsicum. Finely Chop garlic, fresh ginger and onion.
Step Three. It’s always a good idea to put all your spices into a little bowl or onto your chopping board, so you have them all together already.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan or pot (which has a fitting lid). Once hot, add bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick and fry for about a minute until they release their aroma (that’s when you start to smell the spices).
Step Four. Add ginger, garlic, onion and drained rice and fry for about 2-3 minutes until the rice looks translucent. Add veggie stock and bring back to a boil. Then stir for a few seconds.
Step Five. Add veggies (except for peas) and spread over the rice. It doesn’t matter if some of them aren’t covered in water. The steam will cook them.
Step Six. Reduce heat to its lowest setting and cover with a lid. Let your vegan rice pilaf simmer for about 10-15 minutes, without stirring it. This is very important: DO NOT stir! And don’t worry about burning the rice. It won’t because we’re cooking it on low heat.
Add frozen peas at the very last moment, just to heat them up.
Step Seven. Pick out the cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cloves which are normally floating somewhere on the top, in between the veggies. Season pilaf with salt and pepper and stir in almonds.
Substitutions
Vegetables: Green beans, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant or carrots work fine as well!
Rice: Basmati rice is the easiest to prepare and stays fluffy after cooking. However, if you don’t have it, any long grain rice will do as well. You could even try wild rice!
Brown rice will do too, however, it needs to cook for far longer and it might not be as fluffy. Taste-wise, I think, it’ll be fine!
Alternatively, if you don’t want to use rice you could also try this vegan pilaf with quinoa (cooking time may need to be adapted accordingly).
Spices: They are important and make the pilaf so tasty after all. Besides cinnamon, clove and bay leaves, you can add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 2 cardamom pods and/or ½ teaspoon coriander seeds.
For colouring and extra flavour, you could add 1 teaspoon of turmeric or maybe a bit of saffron.
Some people even like mixing in herbs like parsley or mint (at the end, after it’s cooked).
Nuts: The simply add some crunch to our vegan rice pilaf. Instead of almonds, you could use walnuts, cashews and pistachios! If you’re allergic to nuts, use sunflower or pumpkin seeds/pepitas instead.
Dried fruit: Sometimes you find dried apricots, sultanas, raisins or dates in rice pilafs. Add them if you like some extra sweetness.
Storage
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini/courgette
- 1 red capsicum/bell pepper
- 2 handfuls peas I just use frozen
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- small piece of fresh ginger
- 1 small onion
- 100g / ½ cup Basmati rice
- 200ml / ~ ¾ cup veggie broth see notes, if using my veggie stock paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 8 whole cloves
- a handful nuts chopped, I like using almonds
- 2 tablespoon oil I use coconut oil
Instructions
- Prepare your rice: rinse the rice thoroughly to remove the starch or any debris. Then soak it for about 10-15 minutes. After that, you drain the rice through a sieve (we need it in step 4).
- Meanwhile, prepare your veggies: Cut the zucchini in quarters, lengthwise, and slice. Dice capsicum. Finely Chop garlic, fresh ginger and onion.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan or pot. Once hot, fry bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick for about a minute until they release their aroma (that’s when you start to smell the spices).
- Add ginger, garlic, onion and drained rice and fry for about 2-3 minutes until the rice looks translucent. Add veggie stock and bring back to a boil. Then stir for a few seconds.
- Add veggies (except for peas) and spread over the rice. It doesn’t matter if some of them aren’t covered in water. The steam will cook them.
- Reduce heat to its lowest setting and cover with a lid. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, without stirring it. Don’t worry about burning the rice. It won’t because we’re cooking it on low heat.Add frozen peas at the very last moment, just to heat them up.
- Pick out the cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cloves, season pilaf with salt and pepper and stir in chopped nuts.
Notes
- If you want to use my veggie stock, mix 1 level tbs with 200ml water.
- Vegetables: Green beans, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant or carrots work fine as well!
- Spices: you can add or swap the spices too. You can add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 2 cardamom pods and/or ½ teaspoon coriander seeds. For colouring and extra flavour, you could add 1 teaspoon of turmeric or maybe a bit of saffron.
- Picking out the cloves at the end can be a pain – they definitely know how to hide, particularly, the last one! Make sure you use big ones and count them before you put them in. At the end, leave them out on the bench or on a cutting board, so you know how many you’ve already got out of there.
