Mildly Sweet Mushroom White Rice

Mushroom White Rice with date syrup and onions is a super-easy one-pot Pilaf side-dish. This easy and lovable Mediterranean vegan and extra-nutritious recipe contains NO butter, chicken stock. NO milk or meat derivatives either. Date syrup with its fructose is a natural sweetener made with 100% dates?

What is rice pilaf?

Rice Pilaf, also called Pilau, Pulao, or Pilav, is a white rice cooked in a chicken broth, or stock, with meat and vegetables.

Why this mushroom white rice?

It’s nutritional value –

This white rice recipe contains more nutritional value with its date syrup. I love to add fresh herbs to bump up its aromatic and nutritional value. Just toss the herbs right before pouring the hot water in.

It’s a great side dish for a more guests –

As there’s an ever-growing variety of diets that guests follow at the same dinner table, I’m constantly searching for dishes that cater to as many diets as possible. This is to reduce the amount of dishes I need to prepare for one meal. This mushroom white rice pilaf recipe is just that: It’s vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and Kosher neutral (pareve) friendly, yet has a lovely umami flavor.

What contributes to a umami flavor?

The combination of the mushrooms and date-syrup, which is actually date-molasses, or ‘date-honey’ dating back to biblical times, gives the rice a umami flavor.

Nutritional value of date syrup

Date syrup is tyrpically derived from a concentration of dried dates.

Dates are high in fibers, vitamins and minerals.

• Fibers – Frequent consumption of fibers contributes to bowel movements, and may contribute to the controling of blood sugar, as it digestion. Slower digestion may help blood sugar spikes.
• Anti-Oxidants – anti-inflammatory traits. 3 major types in dates: flavonoids, carotenonoids, and phonolic acid. Reducing imflamation has been tested to potentially help with heart health, alzheimers, eye-health, muscle health, neurodegenerative diseases.

Ingredients And Subs For Mushroom Rice Pilaf

Mushrooms –

• Canned
• Sub: Fresh/raw (Just fry it above a low heat a bit longer, before adding the rice)

White Rice –

• Jasmine rice; or,
• Basmati rice; or,
• Persian rice

You can choose the type of white rice according to the degree of stickiness you prefer:

• Short rice grains: for sticky results
• Medium size rice grains: for less sticky results
• Long rice grains: for mostly non-sticky, separate grains

Onion –

• White
• Sub: Red onion

Fresh Herbs – Optional – This is not in the recipe below. I love to add fresh herbs for an aeromatic enhancement.

• Fresh parsley – optional
• Fresh Cilantro – optional
• Fresh celery leaves (minced) – optional

Oil – Neutral oil –

• Canola
• Corn
• Sesame
• Grapeseed
• Cotton

Spices –

• Kosher salt
• White pepper

Date Syrup (Date Molasses) –

• Naturally sweet – No added sugar

Liquid –

• Water

Subs: If you know their flavors and how to substitute them.

• coconut milk
• vegan milk supstitutes

Steps – One-Pot Mediterranean Rice Pilaf With Mushrooms

Step 1

Rinse rice several times in a strainer. Strain and set aside. There’s surprisingly no need to dry the rice.

Step 2

Strain canned mushrooms and set aside, or rinse, then slice raw mushrooms.

Step 3

Fry chopped onion in oil for a few minutes. Toss the mushrooms into the pot. Saute for a few minutes (saute raw mushrooms longer above a low heat).

Step 4

Add the rice and saute for 6 minutes above a low heat. Add spices and date syrup.

Step 5

Cook on a medium-low heat for 8 several minutes. Turn off the heat. Remove the pot from the range. Cover with a towel for at least 30 to 40 minutes.

Tips Vegan Mushroom Rice Pilaf

Mixing

• If there are rice clumps (which is fine), you can separate them with your fingers, or really gently with a fork.
• For mixing prepared rice: Please do so carefully and gently.

Flavor Enhancement For Vegan Mushroom with White Rice Pilaf

• Drawing out the flavors –
  • Feel free to add your favorite dried spices that you think will merge nicely into the recipe. Just add them to the oil after the rice has finished frying.
  • Give them a one-minute fry and then add the water to the pot.
  • This initial frying of the spices is responsible for drawing out their flavors, otherwise, they might not be noticable.
• Herbs:
  • Fresh parsley – Please do not use dry parsley spice. It’s flavor is nowhere near that of fresh parsley. By the way, guests from the Mediterranean, Middle Eastern or Asian region are used to fresh herbs, just in case your guests are from those areas.
  • Fresh Cilantro – If you only have dry herbs in your pantry, I guess you could sub the fresh herbs with 1 tablespoon of green cilantro dry tiny flakes. Though, I wouldn’t add the brown ground cliantro powder. Please do not attempt to add them to the oil while it is frying. Add the dry cilantro after pouring in the hot water.
• Date Syrup (Date Molasses) –
  • It has its own charming sweetness which is not overwhelmingly sweet.
  • For extra sweetness, reduce the salt contents and bump up the date syrup.
  • Check the jar to make sure that it’s sugar-free.
  • This is important information for your guests, in case they ask about this.
  • If the date-syrup jar you have contains added processed sugar, I’d take that into consideration and, perhaps, add less syrup.
• Note:
  • Olive oil – might have a bitter aroma. Olive oil has a thickness and lower burning point that make it more difficult to fry rice in. At least, this is my experince. But using mixed neutral oil along with some olive oil will add more nutrition thanks to the olive oil and the aroma might not be overwhelming.
  • Coconut oil, has a strong aroma that not all like.

Another Mediterranean rice pilaf side dish recipe:

• Mediterranean Rice Pilaf with Green Peas

Storage

Refrigerating –

It’s best to close them in an air-tight container for up to 2 days after the day it was cooked.

Freezing –

I’d advise against freezing any rice dish. As rice is starchy, freezing it would end up in soggy, broken up texture.

I wish you good luck in making One-Pot Vegan Mushroom- Rice Palif.

For any questions of thoughts, feel free to ask questions in the comment section below. 🙂

ENJOY!