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Peanut milk gives this simple, vegan side dish a protein boost along with a subtle nutty flavor. Great with Asian stir-fries and Indian meals!
My family loves rice. I'm always looking for interesting new ways to jazz it up to serve alongside dinner.
And one of the best ways to infuse flavor into rice is to change up the cooking liquid!
I like switching things up by using chicken stock or veggie broth to cook my rice in instead of water occasionally. So when the Georgia Peanut Commission sent over a package that included Peanut Milk by Elmhurst 1925, I knew I wanted to experiment with rice.
What is peanut milk? How can peanuts be milked?
As someone who lives with 2 lactose intolerant people, I've tried my fair share of dairy-free milk alternatives. We typically keep almond milk on hand, but I was really intrigued by peanut milk.
I will admit, however, that every time I hear about a new type of milk, my mind immediately goes to that scene from Meet the Parents when they talk about milking a cat. So I may giggle a bit, but I'm totally open to trying all sorts of milks and "mylks" (the way that some people distinguish plant-based milk from animal milk).
According to Elmhurst:
The word "milked" best describes Elmhurst Milked's unique process of using water to separate and draw out all the nutrients from the peanuts. Once released, these valuable nutrients re-combine naturally to form a smooth, creamy beverage without the use of chemicals or thickeners. The milking process allows Elmhurst Milked to use more peanuts per glass, resulting in a more delicious and nutritious non-dairy beverage.
The "cold-milking" process produces an incredibly creamy, rich product that really tastes like peanuts. It's made using only whole, raw peanuts sourced exclusively from Georgia, never pre-processed, and doesn't contain the industrial stabilizers, whiteners, emulsifiers, or gums found in many other plant-based beverage brands.
Both the Milked Peanuts and Milked Peanuts - Chocolate are non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, lactose free, and Kosher. They don't contain high fructose corn syrup or carrageenan.
My family really enjoyed drinking these 2 types of milk, and both are also great to cook with! The chocolate peanut milk is made with Dutch cocoa and is incredibly rich and luscious. YUM!
Cooking with peanut milk
I wanted to use the peanut milk as the cooking liquid for my basmati rice. I wasn't totally sure how the texture of the milk would affect the rice during the cooking process, so I decided to go with half milked peanuts and half water.
This ended up being a great ratio - the rice had a nice peanutty flavor without being overpowering. When I opened the lid after the rice was done steaming, there was a bit of frothy looking peanut milk bits up top (kind of coagulated but not in a gross way). Once I fluffed and stirred the rice, it wasn't as noticeable visually, and it didn't affect the texture at all.
I bet this peanut milk would be great for lattes and steamers as well, and the chocolate milk would be great simmered for hot chocolate.
I'm not sure how it would react to being cooked down in sauces, but I'd love to play around with it some more! Sometimes creamy sauces can separate a bit, so I'd have to do some experimenting, but the flavor would be great in a lot of different applications!
Making crispy shallots without flour
I love the flavor of crispy onions and shallots, but they're often coated with flour, which can take away from the flavor of the actual vegetable.
To make these, I decided to fry them up in the same pot I'd be using to cook the rice. That way the oil would be infused with shallot flavor as well.
Be sure to start with the heat off. You want a thin layer of oil on the bottom of your pan, and you want to be sure to separate the rings of the shallot a bit with your fingers as you sprinkle them down into the oil. This will help them cook evenly.
Once the shallots are all in, turn the heat up to medium-high and let them cook, stirring occasionally, until they get nice and brown and crispy. It will seem to be going slowly at first, but once they start getting brown they'll get dark pretty quickly.
Do not look away from the pan. Trust me.
On a related note: burnt shallots are extra crispy and still pretty tasty. But I kept them to the side to keep them out of the recipe photos.
Use tongs to remove the shallots to a plate lined with a kitchen towel or paper towel, and immediately sprinkle them with a little salt. They may seem like they aren't crispy when you remove them from the oil, but they'll get firmer as they cool and dry.
To finish the rice, I stirred in some fresh cilantro at the end. I then sprinkled it with some chopped peanuts to really drive home the peanutty flavor of the rice, then topped it with the crispy shallots.
This rice made the perfect side dish to a chicken stir-fry that I made with a bunch of odds and ends that I had hanging out in my kitchen (recipe coming soon!). It would go beautifully with Indian dishes like butter chicken or lamb roganjosh.
It would be great with Thai food as well! It has a mild enough flavor to not overpower whatever it's served with, but feels much more special than plain steamed rice.
We stir-fried some of the leftovers with some tamari, egg, and peas to go with leftovers and it was absolutely delicious as well!
Check out some of our favorite simple side dish recipes:
- Honey Balsamic Roasted Carrots
- Patatas Bravas with Chipotle Aioli
- Skillet Garlic Parmesan Bread
- Bourbon-Orange Cranberry Sauce
- Asian Broccoli Slaw
- Garlicky Sun-dried Tomato Studded Couscous
- Rosemary Roasted Asparagus + Tomatoes with Toasted Sunflower Seeds
- Roasted Butternut Squash & Broccolini with Truffle Salt
- Falafel-Spiced Chickpea Salad with Tahini-Lemon Vinaigrette
- Roma Salad with Caper-Dill Vinaigrette
- Quick Chickpea Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette
- Creamy Cucumber, Avocado, Chickpea, & Sun-Dried Tomato Salad
- Bourbon-Orange Cranberry Sauce
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Recipe for Peanutty Rice with Crispy Fried Shallots
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Peanutty Rice with Crispy Fried Shallots
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 Servings 1x
- Category: Grains
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
Peanut milk gives this simple, vegan side dish a protein boost along with a subtle nutty flavor. Great with Asian stir-fries and Indian meals!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 small shallots, thinly sliced (about ⅓ cup total)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1 ¾ cups peanut milk (I used Milked Peanuts from Elmhurst 1925)
- 1 ¾ cups water
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- Chopped peanuts, for garnish (I used skinless, salted)
Instructions
- Place peanut oil in a medium saucepan. Add shallots, separating the rings with your fingers. Turn the heat on to medium-high. Fry the shallots, stirring occasionally, until well browned. Remove shallots to a kitchen towel or paper towel lined plate, leaving the oil in the pan, and immediately sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt.
- Place the rice in a large bowl and fill with cool water. Swirl the rice around with your hand until the water goes cloudy, carefully drain, and repeat 2 or 3 times, draining well after the last rinse. This helps remove the excess starch from the rice.
- Carefully add the drained rice to the saucepan (it may splatter if the oil is still hot), then add the peanut milk, water, and ½ t kosher salt. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove lid, and fluff rice with a fork, then stir in the chopped cilantro. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if necessary.
- Serve rice with crispy shallots and chopped peanuts sprinkled over top.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 299
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 216.1 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.4 g
- Fiber: 0.9 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: rice, peanut milk, crispy shallots, vegan
Lori H
That rice looks delicious! Great idea!
Denise
This is so my kind of recipe! I love rice and especially with nuts though I have to say that I have never tried peanuts in a rice dish so I can't wait to try this. I love the idea of peanut milk too. I'll have keep an eye out for that.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
This is such a scrumptious way to prepare rice...I think I could enjoy this as is and be quite happy. Though, I bet an over easy egg would be yummy too! Love those crispy shallots!
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
I've never seen peanut "mylk" here, and I am so willing to give it a try! I bet your lovely rice tasted delicious after it was cooked in it and with the beautiful addition of crispy shallots, cilantro, and more peanuts! Yum!
Gloria
I LOVE rice. This looks like a GREAT side dish for any protein. I would make a meal on this all by itself. Love the addition of peanuts!!
Kathryn @ FoodieGirlChicago
Love recipes like this that are big on flavor but not too complicated to make! And I adore those crispy shallots on top!!
Marisa Franca
I love the taste of slightly burnt onions. Not totally burnt but with dark bits here and there. YUM!! And I do agree changing up the rice water will add so much flavor. I haven't heard of peanut milk but you explained it beautifully. A great way to get your protein in!!
Leslie
Holy cow (or I guess, lack of cow?)! I had no idea peanut milk was a thing. I'm so intrigued!
Michele
This rice looks so flavorful and delish with the crispy shallots! Def going to put this on my list of things to try next. I think my family would love it!
Anne Murphy
Peanut milk? Fascinating! Never heard of it (which is, of course, one of the reasons for the post... LOL) and it sounds interesting. I've added peanuts to rice since I learned to cook - one of my mother's favorite recipes was served with rice with coconut and peanuts, and that was terrific - so the additional flavor from the milk must be delicious!
Michelle Blackwood
Wow I haven't had peanut milk and I can't wait to try it and cook with it. I love the peanutty flavor with my noodles, tofu so I know it tastes awesome in your rice.
Tatiana
I am excited to try a peanut milk now, never heard of it before. My daughter will absolutely drink it right from the bottle.
Eileen Kelly
My youngest has a tough time with dairy and she is an athlete and I have to be so careful with recipes that I am preparing for her. The entire recipe is just delicious and I love this peanut milk. Delicious and I am making this for the family.