Festive Rice Recipe
 This pretty dish is traditionally shaped
into a cone and surrounded by a variety of accompaniments before being
served. One of the ingredients is lemon grass which is a stalk of a
perennial grass, and is widely available in supermarkets. It can also be
grown in a pot indoors.
Ingredients: (Serves 8)
450 g/1 lb jasmine rice
60 ml/4 tablespoons oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 onions, thinly sliced
2.5 ml/ ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
750 ml/1¼ pints/3 cups water
400 ml/14 fl oz can coconut milk
1 or 2 lemon grass stalks, bruised
For the accompaniments:
Omelet strips
2 fresh red chilies, seeded and shredded
Cucumber chunks
Tomato wedges
Deep-fried onions
Shrimps (prawns) crackers
Method:
Put the jasmine rice in a large strainer and
rinse it thoroughly under cold water. Drain well. Heat the oil in a frying
pan with a lid. Cook the garlic, onions and turmeric over a low heat for
2-3 minutes, until the onions have softened. Add the rice and stir well to
coat in oil.
Pour in the water and coconut milk and add
the lemon grass. Bring to the boil, stirring. Cover the pan and cook
gently for 12 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed by the
rice.
Remove the pan from the heat and lift the
lid. Cover with a clean dish towel, replace the lid and leave to stand in
a warm place for 15 minutes. Remove the lemon grass, mound the rice
mixture in a cone on a serving platter and garnish with the
accompaniments, then serve.
Happy Cooking,
Carol |
