Baked Pomegranate Rice

So Much More Than the Title Suggests.

Continuing along with my love of all things pomegranate I’ve come up with this new recipe. I’ve made it 3 times in order to get it exactly as I’d imagined and oh, boy, is it good. 3 different pomegranate ingredients – juice, arils (seeds), and molasses – go into this. 

Here’s how this came about. A month or so ago, I posted a recipe using pomegranate arils and the pomegranate company POM contacted me asking if they could use my post in their social media. Of course, I happily gave them permission to do so and they thanked me by sending me a case of their pomegranate juice, along with another case of one of their teas. I’ve used their juice many times and was happy to have a supply on hand. Having made baked rice recipes in the past and loving them, I set out to make one using some of that pomegranate juice.

I was determined that this recipe wouldn’t be fussy or difficult. That’s the beauty of a baked rice dish. Put it in the oven and let the heat work its magic on the simple ingredients while you get on with the rest of your meal.  But besides the juice, I thought the salty briny taste of feta would be great baked into the rice.

It’s simply a matter of placing rinsed and drained basmati rice into a baking dish (I used a brasier, but a 13 x 9 inch dish would work, too). Then stir together the juice, water, and salt. Heat it in the microwave until it’s hot and pour it over the rice. Add chunks of feta, cover it, and bake for 25 minutes. Then let it rest for 10 minutes before adding the toppings and serving it up.

As I made this several times, one thing lead to another and I ended up not only using pomegranate juice in the rice, but wanted to accentuate the pomegranate flavor even more.  I decided I’d top the rice with a salsa using the arils and lots of scallions. The first time I made it the dish ended up tasting good, but It wasn’t particularly noteworthy or exciting. It needed something more. 

A couple of months ago I bought a bag of kumquats and preserved them in salt. So, I rinsed off a few, chopped them up and added them to the salsa. This made a big difference. The salsa was so much better. I fully realize very few people will have salt-preserved kumquats on hand, so I made up another batch using half of a salt-preserved lemon and it’s just as good. After tasting it again I realized it needed more depth of flavor and acid, so I added a little pomegranate molasses, gochugaru flakes, and 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil. Now it was really perfect.

It’s not hard to imagine how this rice tastes. It has a soft sweetness from the juice, creamy bits of melted salty feta, fun bites of bright flavors from the salsa, and then crunchy rich pistachios which are sprinkled on top. 

It’s not just good, it’s fantastic. A whole lot of oohing and aahing was going on as we ate my third try at this recipe. Besides all the wonderful flavors, I love the texture of basmati when it’s baked. It lends itself so well to this cooking method. Each grain is cooked to perfection and perfectly seasoned. The salsa doesn’t take over. It serves to enhance the rice and feta. I find this kind of dish so satisfying. It could definitely be served as a main course with a green salad, or it’s wonderful as a side dish served with a roast chicken or a grilled piece of meat. Plus, it’s so beautiful to look at. Put the dish on the table and let people help themselves. Trust me, they’ll keep going back for more. This is one of those recipes that you can’t stop eating.