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Coconut Rice

This is such a soothing rice dish—slightly sweet and salty, with just a hint of black pepper. (Do not eat the peppercorns. Push them to the side of your plate. They are just for flavoring.) As the dish is South Indian, I have made it with jasmine rice, which is closer in texture to the shorter-grained rices commonly found in that region. I love to serve this with northern lamb and chicken curries, thus breaking tradition and combining north and south in an exciting new way.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
2/3 cup finely sliced shallots
2 cups jasmine rice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 cups coconut milk from a well-shaken can mixed with an equal measure of water

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 325°F.

    Step 2

    Pour the oil into a heavy, ovenproof pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot put in the peppercorns. Let them sizzle for a few seconds. Add the shallots and stir-fry until they turn reddish brown. Add the rice, turning heat to low, as well as the salt and turmeric. Stir gently for a minute. Add the coconut milk–water mixture, turn heat to medium high, and bring to a rolling boil. Cover first with foil, crimping the edges, and then with the lid. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Fluff up and mix with a fork and then quickly cover again and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

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Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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