Ayurveda Brown Rice Gluten-Free Halava Recipe

This incredible recipe will hit the spot in the summer, winter, or anytime you're craving something sweet & restorative after a long day of physical, mental and/or emotional work.  You can go dairy free if needed or use milk to enhance the restorative properties to your mind, emotional heart and body. Brown rice is high in earth element and will provide the extra support and rejuvenation you may need anytime you've been working hard. Halava is usually eaten as a dessert or late afternoon snack. However, you can also enjoy it for breakfast by combining a scoop with milk or nut milk of choice and warming it slowly with lid on.

Ingredients:

• 1/4-1/2 cup coconut oil or ghee (enough to completely coat each grain of farina)

• 1 cup cream of brown rice farina (we like: Bob's Arrowhead Mills brand "Creamy Brown Rice Hot Cereal")

• 3 cups milk or water (to start - you may need to add more water as it cooks - see directions below)

• ½ cup dark brown sugar or jaggery or sucanat - or to taste

• ½ tsp cardamom powder or 3-4 crushed cardamom pods crushed into powder

• Small handful raisins (brown or golden or a combo of both is nice)

• 1 pinch salt

• ¼ cup dry roasted almond slivers, walnut and/or pecan pieces for garnish

• optional garnish: coconut flakes

Directions:

• in a medium saucepan or frying pan, melt coconut oil/ghee medium

• Add brown rice farina and saute for approx. 5 minutes (until it starts having nutty aroma and turns golden brown in color stirring continuously)

• Add milk/water, sweetener & salt & stir to combine

• Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer with lid on for approximately 10 minutes (until farina is getting softer)

• Note: if farina feels hard (not soft like normal cooked rice) continue to add 1 cup of water at a time, and to simmer lid on, until farina is soft

• Once farina feels soft and edible, add raisins and spices, stir to combine, and place lid on and simmer for 3-5 more minutes to soften raisins and thicken the halava. Halava should transform from the thickness of porridge to the thickness of “halava” which should stick together to form a nice ball which you can easily scoop using an ice-cream scoop

• Garnish with shredded coconut and nuts, for an extra treat, & to make nuts more easily digestible, dry roast nuts in the toaster oven by "toasting" until they're golden brown & aromatic on a baking sheet

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