Roasted Rhubarb with Coconut Saffron Rice Pudding

At the cookery school we have been pairing rhubarb with a rich vegan coconut rice pudding with a Moorish twist of saffron.

Coconut Saffron Rice Pudding

Dietary: Vegan | Serves 4

Ingredients:

• A pinch of saffron
• 300ml coconut milk
• 300ml soya milk
• 50g golden caster sugar
• 75g risotto rice, washed
• 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out
• 2 tbsp of fresh green pistachios, finely chopped for garnish

Method:

1. Crush the saffron gently in a pestle and mortar. Put the saffron into a little dish and pour 2 tbsps of boiling water over the saffron and leave for 15 minutes.
2. Place the saffron and saffron water, coconut milk, soya milk, sugar, and rice into a saucepan. Cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and put the pod and the seeds into the pan. Mix well and simmer gently on a low heat for 15 minutes. When the rice is soft, stir the rice for a final 5-10 minutes until the pudding is thick and creamy. Serve hot, topped with seasonal fruit and chopped pistachios.

Tips:

• By crushing saffron and allowing it to soak in hot water you get more flavour and colour from it.
• Try out some alternative toppings: the seeds from half a pomegranate or rosewater, dried rose petals and a handful of finely chopped dates.