Autumnal and delicious. Rice porridge with pumpkin and dried cranberries recipe

  • Cook Time
    40 mins
  • Serving
    4
  • Difficulty
    Easy

In September, pumpkin appears on the shelves of supermarkets at markets, which means that you can start experimenting with this vegetable. Pumpkin can be baked in the oven with honey, butter and cinnamon, you can make creamy soup from it, add boiled, baked and even raw pumpkin to salads. Pumpkin makes for a delicious pie filling, it’s great in quiches or added to roasts or pilaf. According to nutritionists, pumpkin is not only a tasty food product, but also healthy.

Is pumpkin healthy?

Pumpkin contains a lot of beta-carotene, which the body transforms into vitamin A. The latter can strengthen the immune system and help fight infections, and can also reduce the risk of loss of vision. If you are making a cream soup, then the pumpkin can not only be boiled, but also baked in the oven beforehand, then you will get a richer taste.

This root vegetable also contains a lot of vitamin C, E, iron and folic acid. All of these vitamins
and minerals are essential for maintaining the immune system, especially during the cold season. You can also make juice from pumpkin, combining it with, for example, apple, orange or carrot juice.

Pumpkins contain antioxidants, such as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin. These can neutralize free radicals, stopping them from damaging your cells. If you’re adding pumpkin to a salad, then cut it into slices and cook on an electric grill. The same can be done on an ordinary grill, but then the pumpkin pieces should be about 4-5 mm thick.

You can choose any pumpkin for this dish. If I buy this vegetable at the bazaar, please give it a try. If raw pumpkin is sweet, accordingly, this sweetness will persist after cooking. I also added dried cranberries to the pumpkin porridge, but you can use raisins, dried apricots and even pieces of dried mango.

What grains to use for a pumpkin porridge

If you’ve decided to cook pumpkin porridge with rice, use round grain rice. It contains more starch than the long-grain one that we use for pilaf, so the porridge will turn out smooth and creamy. If you use, for example, long grain rice, basmati, wild or parboiled, you will not get a nice, smooth, mushy structure.

You can also use millet, wheat grits, barley and corn. If you like to experiment, then be sure to try using pearl barley or bulgur.

How to make rice porridge with pumpkin and dried cranberries

Ingredients

Autumnal and delicious. Rice porridge with pumpkin and dried cranberries recipe: Directions

Step 1

Prepare all the ingredients you’ll need to make pumpkin porridge with rice. If you want to get a more mushy consistency, then you need not rinse the rice beforehand so as not to wash off the starch.

rice porridge with pumpkin
rice porridge with pumpkin
Step 2

Cut the pumpkin into same-sized chunks. Place the pumpkin pieces in a pot, add about 200 ml of water. The pumpkin should not be completely submerged. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 10 minutes.

rice porridge with pumpkin
rice porridge with pumpkin
Step 3

Then add the sugar, a cinnamon stick, 350 ml of milk and ½ tsp. salt. Don’t skip the salt – it’s necessary to balance out the sweetness. Bring porridge to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook for 5-7 minutes. I added about 2 tbsp sugar, but you can add less depending on the sweetness of your pumpkin and your personal preference.

rice porridge with pumpkin
rice porridge with pumpkin
Step 4

Add 150 g of rice and spread it out evenly, but do not stir. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

rice porridge with pumpkin
rice porridge with pumpkin
Step 5

Remove the cinnamon stick from the porridge, it has already infused the other ingredients with it’s taste. Add the butter and stir everything well with a wooden spoon.

rice porridge with pumpkin
rice porridge with pumpkin
Step 6

After the butter, add the dried cranberries and also stir everything once more. Cook the porridge for another 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.

rice porridge with pumpkin
rice porridge with pumpkin
Cooking is easy!

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