Pina Colada Pilaf!

Elmotoo's Note:

No, it's not too sweet! It is easy & delicious! Made for RSC Lucky #13. This does make quite a bit but it didn't last long in our family. It can be a side dish or served under a curry dish.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 20 ounces pineapple chunks in juice , drained, juice & pineapple reserved separately
• 1 (13 ½ ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 cup water , approximately
• 2 cups basmati rice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 cups garbanzo beans , cooked (or 1 15oz can, rinsed & drained)
• ½ cup almonds , slivered
• ½ cup raisins
• ¼ cup cilantro , chopped

Directions:

1. Combine reserved pineapple juice, coconut milk & 1c water or more to equal 3 1/2c liquid.
2. Combine liquid with basmati, salt, cinnamon & cardamom. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low & cook, covered, 10 minutes.
3. Fluff rice & stir in pineapple chunks, garbanzo beans, almonds, raisins & cilantro. Cover & let sit 10 minutes. Fluff again & serve.

Reviews

[Realtor by day, Chef by night]

This was great and easy to do! I left out the beans cause we're not too crazy about them. I added more raisins instead. I was surprised at how good this was. It's very different from the things I usually make. Thanks, Elmotoo! Made for ZWT5 for the Kitchen Witches.

[NorthwestGal]

This is a creative recipe that was well worth trying. I don't usually care for raisins, but I thought the raisins really worked well in this dish, especially contrasted with the nutty flavor of the almond slivers. The title was Pina Colada Pilaf, but I didn't think it tasted all that much like a pina colada dish. I will most likely serve this again though, but without the garbonza beans (but that's only because no one in my family likes them). All in all, this is a great rice dish. Thanks, Chef!

[Susie D]

I made this to serve with Awesome Baked Ham. I omitted the garbanzo beans because I just couldn't imagine them in my rice. (Confession: I am not crazy about them anyway.) Other than reducing the amounts by half I followed the rest of the recipe exactly. While I wouldn't call this "pina colada" flavored we did like it and would have it again. We liked the mix of flavors, the fruit & nuts, and it was pretty on the plate. The ingredients do balance well. I did think it needed salt (probably because I left out the canned beans). Thank you for your entry in the contest and good luck!