Fig and Rosewater Rice Pudding

Sweet indulgences are a pleasurable part of life, yet many ingredients in desserts are not so kind to the body.  This comforting sweet treat is dairy-free, gluten-free, and contains no refined sugar. This could also serve as a lovely breakfast if you opt for less sweetener.

Ingredients:

4 cups nut milk
1 cup rice
1/3-1/2 cup date syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 cardamom pods (seeds crushed, about 1 1/4 teaspoons)
rosewater
3/4 cup dried apricots or figs, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1 lemon (juice and zest)
sea salt
pistachios (optional) for garnish.

Equipment:

Saladmaster Electric Oil Skillet (EOS) and 1 qt saucepan, spice/nut grinder

Directions:

To make the rice pudding, put the following in the EOS on rice setting #1:

nut milk
rice
date syrup
vanilla extract
crushed cardamom seeds
sea salt

When finished, add rosewater (or to taste).

While the rice is cooking, make the dried fruit compote. Put the following in a 1 qt saucepan:

dried apricots and/or figs, roughly chopped
lemon juice and zest
crushed seeds from 2 cardamom pods
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon rosewater

Put on medium heat, then turn low with the Vapo-valve is clicking. Cook until the dried fruit is soft (about 10 minutes).

Add 1 teaspoon rosewater.

Spoon pudding into a bowl. Top with compote. Garnish with crushed pistachios and/or dried rose petals (optional).

Adapted from Yasmin Khan’s recipe in Zaitoun: Recipes from the Palestinian Kitchen