I'm a big fan of heat. Almost all of my rice is doused in habaneros from my garden! I'll always tell you that the peppers are optional. But they're as necessary as the rice is for me... I made this recipe for other people, though, and that means restraint! So the hottest thing in this rice recipe is banana peppers. Which I did grow myself. It does pair perfectly with pumpkin rice and tomatoes, though.
The caveat with this recipe was no peppers, no onions, and no garlic. Not one to miss an opportunity to stretch this as much as possible! I went for banana peppers for flavor, rather than heat. Shallots because they are absolutely not the same thing as red onions. And roasted garlic because I get it, garlic can be a bit much. But you don't have that bite from roasted garlic that you get with typical cloves.
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Variations of Pumpkin Rice
I have been experimenting with rice all summer long. From mild to spicy and squash to pumpkin, rice has been my go-to this season! The same basic principle works for rice, lentils, and quinoa as well.
Brown rice has a reputation for being a little bit tricky to cook. It firmer than white rice and takes a little bit more to soften. But it really is quite easy once you get the hang of it! And my absolute favorite trick to cooking brown rice is to add vegetable broth and lime juice. This recipe combines roasted pie pumpkin, roasted garlic, tomatoes, banana peppers, shallots, bay leaves, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
I used Roasted Garlic in this recipe. You can easily substitute 2 cloves of unroasted garlic. Otherwise, this recipe simply calls for garlic and oil, a garlic roaster or aluminum foil, and takes about an hour.
Cook Rice
Add all of the ingredients into a rice cooker. I like to start with the larger vegetables and then add the smaller ingredients. Top with the bay leaves, spices, and lime juice. Then, add the rice, vegetable broth, and water.This cooks the larger vegetables on the bottom, while dispersing the flavor profiles in the middle. Although with some mixing, this really doesn't matter all that much. Everything will eventually cook together!
Press the cook button on the rice cooker. It should take about 45 minutes to cook.Alternatively you can simmer on the stove. Add all of the ingredients to a pot, bring uncovered to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook covered for about 15 minutes, or until the sweet squash and rice are tender. Turn off heat, add lid, and let sit another 5-10 minutes.
When the rice is fully cooked, let sit for 10 minutes, and then fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil. It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom!
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