Indian Spiced Rice Pudding

Indian Spiced Rice Pudding

1 cup organic white or brown basmati rice 

Small pinch of sea salt

4 cups organic store bought or homemade almond milk

½ cup raisins

 4 organic cardamom pods, slightly crushed (or 1/2 tsp ground cardamom)

1 cinnamon stick (or 1tsp cinnamon)

1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

4 pitted organic Medjool dates, chopped

1/3 cup maple syrup, rice syrup or raw honey (or to taste)

2 teaspoons vanilla

½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

¼ cup chopped toasted organic pistachios, almonds or walnuts (optional)

Instructions

Place the basmati rice, and pinch of salt, almond milk, cardamom and cinnamon, and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened slightly and the rice is tender, about 25 minutes.
Stir in the chopped dates, honey, vanilla and almond extracts and cook an additional 5 minutes.
Remove the pudding from the heat, discard the cinnamon and pour into a bowl or individual serving dishes. It will thicken as it cools. Sprinkle with chopped nuts before serving, and serve slightly warm or chilled. Kai Bravo