Coconut Brown Basmati Rice Pudding

I made bread pudding a few days ago and talked about being resourceful like my dad was.  Well, this was another one of his dishes, though his recipe was not with basmati rice or coconut.  But I spun this off his, as that's what kind of rice I had.

What I used tonight:

• 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
• 1 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed well
• 14 oz can coconut milk
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 orange, squeezed and zested
• 1/2 cup organic yellow sugar
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 8 green cardamom pods, shells removed by crushing with mallet and insides used

• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• Ground cinnamon, for garnish
• Pecans, lightly crushed with mallet, for garnish

Toast the rice in the oil over medium heat in a saucepan.  Add the liquids, spices and zest.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat.  Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer until rice is soft, about a half hour.

Add in the raisins for another 10 minutes.  Stir.  Cover with lid tightly and let rest until warm and thickened.  It gets really thick.  Serve garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon, pecans and more milk if desired.  This can be eaten cold as well.

Wow - this was great!  It smelled so intoxicating I had to have a taste.  That cardamom was heavenly, much nicer than ground from the spice bottle.  Those seeds have a fantastic aroma and taste.  The orange flavor was there yet subtle and did not overwhelm.  It was as good as rice pudding can be.