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–+ servings

Grape Leaf Brown Rice Pilaf WFPB Oil-Free Optional

For those who love the taste of traditional Greek or Middle Eastern stuffed grape leaves this recipe offers an easy way to enjoy the same bright savory Mediterranean flavor medley in the form of a whole food plant-based oil-free optional side dish.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Plant-Based, Vegan, Vegan Fusion, Vegetarian, WFPB, WFPBNO, Whole Food Plant-Based
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Medium mixing bowl (for soaking rice)
  • Mesh Strainer (for rinsing and straining rice and grape leaves)
  • large deep skillet or medium cooking pot with lid (a lid with a steam vent is best)
  • separate skillet or frying pan for browning nuts (any size)

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ cup brown basmati rice
  • ½ cup vegetable broth for oil-free sautéing (substitute with 2 Tbsp cooking oil if preferred)
  • 1 cup chopped shallots (or sub with onions)
  • 1 cup brined grape leaves, rinsed and roughly chopped
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 Tbsp pine nuts or raw slivered almonds (raw sliced almonds are also fine)
  • 2 Tbsp capers (optional)
  • juice of one medium to large lemon (about 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice or more to taste)
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves* (or sub with 2 tsp dry parsley)
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves* (or sub with 2 tsp dried mint leaves)
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill* (or sub with 2 tsp dried dill)
  • lemon wedges for garnish (optional)

Instructions
 

Rinse and Soak Rice

  • Perform this step before measuring and prepping any of the other ingredients.
  • Place brown basmati rice in a medium size mixing bowl, cover with cold water, and gently swirl with your hand or a spoon. Drain the cloudy water and repeat a couple of times until the water is mostly clear. 
  • Place rinsed water back in the bowl, cover it with fresh water and set aside for 30 minutes or up to an hour then strain.

Prepare Grape Leaves

  • Separate grape leaves and rinse them under cold running water to remove some of the salt brine. You can use a strainer or colander for this if you like or you can simply hold one leaf a time under water.
  • Use a strainer or colander to shake off excess water or pat them dry with a clean towel.
  • Cut off the thick stems from the bottom of the leaves and discard them.
  • Roughly chop leaves before measuring one cup. If you've cut up too many leaves you can put them back in the jar or place them in a sealed zip lock container and save them for future use.

Prepare Shallots

  • Chop shallots into small pieces. The size doesn't need to be exact but I usually go for approximately ½ to ¼ inch pieces (1 x ½ cm).
  • Shallots in size so chop and measure them as you go along until you get one cup.

Sautéing

    For oil-free sautéing you will need to keep ½ cup of broth close at hand. If using oil for sautéing it's still a good idea to keep some liquid, broth or water, close at hand to prevent sticking without adding extra oil.
  • Strain the soaked rice before beginning the sauté process.
  • Options (1) Oil-Free Sauté Method: For oil-free sautéing pour 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth into a deep skillet or medium to large pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat, keeping more broth close at hand. Add sliced diced shallots to the skillet or pot, lower heat to medium, and sauté until shallots become golden and soft (about 8 minutes), adding no more than a couple of teaspoons of broth at a time, as needed, to keep shallots from burning and/or sticking.
  • Option (2) Oil Sauté Method: If you are sautéing with oil, begin by heating 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the shallots, lower heat to medium sauté until shallots become golden and soft, about 8 minutes. Add small amounts of water or broth if shallots are sticking.
  • Once shallots become soft and golden add the black pepper and chopped grape leaves and sauté for another 3 minutes, adding small amounts of liquid (no more than 2 teaspoons at a time) as needed to prevent sticking.
  • Add the strained rice to the grape leaves and shallots. Sauté rice, shallots and grape leaves for one more minute.
    • Sautéing the rice with the shallots and grape leaves before cooking is a great way to optimize the texture of the pilaf while creating layers of flavor.

Simmering Phase

  • Add 3 cups of water to the rice, shallots and grape leaves in the pot or skillet and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to low and cover the pot or skillet with a lid.
    • If your lid doesn't have a steam vent, it's a good idea to leave a small gap on the side to allow some of the steam to escape and avoid boiling over.
  • Simmer for 20 to 30 until rice is tender but not mushy and all the water is absorbed.
    • Check the rice after 20 minutes. If the rice is not fully cooked, simmer keeping the pot covered and continue cooking. If the rice is fully cooked but you see excess water, turn the heat off and leave the skillet or pot uncovered for 5 or 10 minutes until the excess water evaporates.

Toast Pine Nuts or Almonds (along with capers if using)

    This step can be done while the rice is simmering.
  • Place a skillet or frying pan over medium-low heat.
  • Add pine nuts (or slivered almonds) and strained capers (if using) and stir frequently for about 3 to 4 minutes until the nuts start to get brown and toasty.
  • Immediately remove the nuts and capers (if using) from the pan, placing them in a small bowl. Set aside.
    • Nuts can go from barely brown to burn very quickly. It's better to err on the safe side and remove them from the pan as soon as you begin to see some browning.

Final Steps

  • Add the toasted nuts (with capers if using), herbs and lemon juice to the cooked rice, shallots and grape leaves in the skillet or pot and toss together until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
  • Taste test the pilaf and decide if you want to add salt, more black pepper or lemon juice if you have any left. Serving the pilaf with extra lemon wedges is also a good option.

Serve or Store

  • This pilaf makes 4 generous servings as a side dish.
  • Serve it piping hot or let it cool down and store in a refrigerated sealed container for up to 5 days and reheat before serving.

Reheating Pilaf

  • Reheat Pilaf in a Microwave: Place the pilaf in a microwave-safe bowl and break up any large chunks. Sprinkle a splash of water over the rice. Cover the bowl with a microwave-safe lid or a damp paper towel. Microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until steaming hot
  • Reheat Pilaf in an Oven: Preheat your conventional oven to 300°F (150 ℃). Place pilaf in an oven-safe casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle lightly water, and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until hot throughout. 

Notes

* Other herbs and herb combinations such as oregano and thyme would also work well, though I would advise against basil or rosemary because these flavors would probably overwhelm the delicate flavors of the other ingredients. You can also choose to use only one or two of the herbs I've listed.
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