New Favorite Recipes!

Hello!
 I'm returning from the land of silence to post about my recent favorite meals!  Today, I wanted to update you on all my delicious finds on Pinterest. Check out my Recipes I've Tried folder on Pinterest to see all the recipes I love!

Here they are- all pictures belong to the original blog.  Have fun!

Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes from two peas & their pod

These are fantastic little bundles of yumminess. They are moist and the pumpkin flavor really comes out.  I dipped just the tops in the Cinnamon/Sugar mix, and it was heavenly! Just as good a day later as just out of the oven. (If they last that long!)

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Lasagna Bake by Pinch of Yum

Delicious.  Creamy and rich, every family member enjoyed this.  A few notes:

I used my own Alfredo Sauce recipe just because it was easier.

I would take out the peas next time. They really didn't add anything to the dish; except that my kids got their veggies! 

Very, very good dish that is on the meal rotation list!

 

by Frieda Loves Bread

I can't believe I haven't posted about this cake.  Last November I was looking for an easy, one layer cake that I could decorate for my boy's Minecraft party.  Frieda answered my call on Facebook. I ended up cutting this into squares, and using pieces of foot rollups to made Minecraft shapes.   We LOVE this cake.  Love, Love, Love.  My daughter asked for it for her birthday in March, and still mentions it as her favorite cake.  The vanilla flavor is so good. Add cherries on top = divine.

 

Thai Beef Tacos from How Sweet it is

One more savory to add to this list.  These tacos are AMAZING! The Thai flavor is perfect, and the mangoes really punch up the whole thing.  The recipe only makes a few; double or triple as needed.  I did try this with stew meat in the crockpot once: not as good.   Use Flank steak and marinate them!

These are enough to get you started.  Check out my "Recipes I've Tried" board on Pinterest to see more tried and true recipes! 

Do you have a favorite recipe you found on Pinterest?  Let me know in the comments!

Mulligatawny (Indian Curry Soup)

I love soup season! Warm, flavorful flavors that cook for hours, making your house smell so nice... mmm...

Today's soup does not take hours, but is super fragrant, and was really good!  Indian Curry soup, or Mulligatawny, is a traditional Eastern Indian Soup.

This is also a great soup for beginner Thai cooks or eaters!  It isn't very strong in flavors. You get just an introduction to curry.  Now, I know it's called "soup", but mine turned out pretty thick. I ended up making some brown rice, and eating the soup on top of that.  Also, this is a Weight Watcher's recipe, and it's full of fruit and veggies! It includes chicken, but that can easily be taken out, and you would still have a hearty meal.

I would also recommend eating this with Naan Bread! Yum! 


Mulligatawny (Indian Curry Soup)
Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook


2 teas canola oil
1 onion, chopped finely
2 carrots, diced
2 celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tart apples, peeled and diced
1/4 cup flour
2 teas curry powder
1/8 teas nutmeg
1 whole clove (Next time I would use powder)
2 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth)
1 tomato, peeled, and chopped
1 teas lemon juice 
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
1/4 teas. salt

Place oil in a medium saucepan, and heat.  Add diced onion, carrots, celery, green bell pepper, and the apples.  Cook for 5 minutes, until the veggies are soft.  Stir in the flour, curry, nutmeg, and clove; stirring, 1 minute. Gradually stir in the stock.

Add the tomato and lemon juice; bring to a boil, and then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often. 

In the meantime, cook your chicken. Add the chicken and the salt to the soup, and stir well.

Serve over brown rice, or alongside Naan Bread! Enjoy!

Weight Watchers points: 1/4 of soup= 4 points (Does not include rice or bread) 

Coconut Peanut Sauce with Coconut Rice

As you know, my family are huge Thai food fans. I've featured a number of Thai recipes here, and am excited to now post another one! This recipe is a little sweeter then some of my others. In fact, I had to add a touch of spice to give it just a little punch.

We grilled some flank steak, made coconut rice, and topped it all with this fabulous sauce. The only complaint was that the meat was a little bland. Next time, I'll marinate it in olive oil, garlic, and ginger before grilling. You can also serve this over chicken! The sauce is not as thick as I'm used to, but it soaked into the rice, and make our mouths very happy. Both hubby and I just sat and ate the rice until we were stuffed! The best part is that this meal is fast, and both the sauce and the rice can make large quantities for parties!


Coconut Rice

1 cup water
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 teas salt
2 TB sugar
2 2/3 cup Jasmine Rice*

*Jasmine rice is amazing. It has a wonderful, nutty taste to it. You can find it in the grocery store, or at oriental markets. To use rice, measure out amount needed in a strainer. Rinse with cool water several times, until all the extra starch is washed off, and the water is clear. (You can also use instant rice if needed)

1. Place the water, coconut milk, salt, and sugar in a large, heavy pan.

2. After rinsing the rice, add to the pan. Cover tightly with a lid, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, without lifting the lid unnecessarily, for 15-20 minutes, until the rice is tender.

3. Turn off the heat and leave the rice to rest in the pan, still covered with the lid, for a further 5-10 minutes.

4. Gently fluff up the rice grains with a fork before transferring it to a warm serving dish.



Coconut Peanut Sauce
(Serve with steak or chicken. I recommend grilling Flank Steak that has been marinated in Oil, Garlic, and Ginger.)
Serves 4 to 6

Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Olive Oil
1 can (13.5 oz)  coconut milk
3 TB peanut butter
4 TB brown sugar, packed,
2 teas curry powder
1 teas red pepper flakes 
2 TB fresh squeezed lime juice (about half a lime)

*optional garnish: toasted coconut and green onions sliced thinly 




To make coconut peanut sauce, add coconut milk, brown sugar, curry powder, lime juice, and peanut butter to the sauce pan. Cook on medium heat, continuously stirring until all of the ingredients have completely come together.  Turn off heat.


Cut your meat into thin slices across the grain and arrange it on a large platter.  Pour coconut peanut sauce on top of the slices and garnish with optional toasted coconut and green onions. Serve over Coconut Rice! Enjoy! 

Thick Beef Curry in Sweet Peanut Sauce

It's Thai Tuesday! This dish is a little more sweet then spicy, even though it has more red curry in it. My hubby ate 2 huge helpings, he liked it so much!

Thick Beef Curry in Sweet Peanut Sauce

Serves 4

2 1/2 cups coconut milk (that's 1 1/2 cans-use the remaining to cook your rice in!)

3 TB red curry paste (Cheaper at an Oriental store)

3 TB fish sauce

2 TB light brown sugar

2 lemon grass stalks, bruised ("bruising" caused by hitting the stalks with the back of a knife or kitchen mallet helps to break the stalk up, and the juice to come out easier)

1 lb Rump round steak or Flank Steak, cut into thin strips and cooked

3/4 cups ground peanuts (I actually leave them whole! Gives the meal some texture.)

2 fresh red chilies, sliced (or 1 TB dried)

5 kaffir lime leaves, torn

salt and ground black pepper

10 Thai basil leaves to garnish

1. Pour half the coconut milk into a large, heavy pan. Place over a medium heat, and bring to boil, stirring constantly until the milk separates.

2. Stir in the red curry paste and cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is fragrant and thoroughly blended. Add the fish sauce, sugar, and the lemon grass stalks. Mix well.

3. Continue to cook until the color deepens.

4. Start your Rice. I use the extra coconut milk in place of water.

5. Gradually add the remaining coconut milk, stirring constantly. Bring back to a boil.

6.. Add the cooked beef and peanuts. Cook, stirring constantly, for 8-10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

7. Add the chilies and lime leaves. Season to taste and serve, garnished with the basil leaves.

The best part of this meal is that it is a meal all by itself. You can add some steamed veggies for a yummy side dish!

Fragrant Thai Chicken Curry

This dish takes a little more time and effort, but is well worth it. It is great to serve at a party, because the chicken and sauce can be prepared in advance and combined and heated at the last minute. This is one of my families personal favorite Thai dishes.

I actually posted this recipe once before, but I didn't have any pictures. Now, I have pictures- lots and lots of pictures!! Enjoy!

Again, see my Thai Tips post if you need help explaining the different Thai ingredients! The * indicates ingredients that are best found at an Asian grocery store.

Fragrant Thai Chicken Curry

3 TB oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 TB Thai red curry paste * (I would put 2TB in)
4 cups coconut milk (roughly 2-3 cans)
2 lemon grass stalks, coarsely chopped*
6 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped*
2/3 cup Greek or Plain yogurt
2 TB apricot jam (I've made this w/out the jam, as no one eats the rest of the jar!)
3 lb cooked chicken breasts
2 TB cilantro
salt and ground black pepper
Kaffir lime leaves, shredded, toasted coconut, and fresh cilantro to garnish
Cooked Jasmine Rice to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic, and cook over a low heat for 5-10 minutes until soft.


Stir in the red curry paste. Cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.


Stir in the coconut milk, then add the lemon grass, lime leaves, yogurt, and apricot jam. Stir well. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.




2. In the meantime start cooking your rice, following the directions on the package. See tips for cooking jasmine rice here.

2. Remove the pan from the heat, and allow to cool slightly. Transfer the sauce to a food processor or blender and process to a smooth puree. Rinse out your pan. Strain the mixture back into the pan, pressing as much of the pureed mixture as possible through the sieve with the back of a wooden spoon. Discard what is left in the sieve. Set aside while you prepare the chicken.

3. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and add to the sauce. ( I used chicken that I had previously cooked and frozen, and shredded it.)

4. Bring the sauce back to simmering. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Serve in warm bowls; garnishing with extra lime leaves, shredded coconut, and cilantro. Serve over Rice.


Enjoy the burst of flavor that is Thai cuisine.

Thai Banana Pudding

This Thai Tuesday's post is a dessert! I've been eyeing this one for a long time. It's simple and easy- what could be better?

Thai dessert is often composed of fruit instead of sugar. This dessert is sweet, but that is mostly from the coconut milk. It's not as thick as pudding, but that's the best way to describe what it is like.

Thai Banana Pudding

adapted from Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk can

3 Bananas

1 14 oz can of coconut milk (regular or light)

3 TB Brown Sugar

1 teas. Vanilla

Pinch of Salt

Cinnamon and Nutmeg to taste

Slice bananas into a large saucepan.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt.

Pour over the bananas, and heat on medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir often, so the bananas don't stick to the pan.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

I'm considering blending the mixture together to make the sauce thicker. If anyone tries it that way, let me know!

Enjoy!

Tangy Chicken Thai Salad

This Thai salad has a lot of "specialty" items in it. You will need to shop at an Asian store to find most of them. Those ingredients are marked with a *. However, the shopping and prep time required for this is all worth it!

Here are some pictures of ingredients not previously mentioned in the Thai Tips post.


Kaffir Lime Leaves (can freeze)


Galangal- looks like Ginger, but has a very different taste. I actually made this dish without the Galangal and it was fine!

Tangy Chicken Thai Salad

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 TB soy sauce
2 TB vegetable oil
1/2 cup coconut cream*
2 TB fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 TB brown sugar
1/2 cup water chestnuts, sliced
1/2 cup cashew nuts, roasted and finely chopped
4 shallots, thinly sliced *
4 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced *
1 lemon grass stalk, thinly sliced *
1 teas chopped fresh galangal *
1 large red chili, seeded and finely chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
10-12 mint leaves, torn
lettuce, to serve

Spinach leaves to serve

1. Place the chicken in a large dish. Rub with the garlic, soy sauce, and 1 TB of oil. Cover and marinate for 1-2 hours.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a wok or frying pan and stir-fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until cooked. Remove and set aside to cool.

3. In a pan, heat the coconut cream, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved; set aside. This is your salad dressing!

4. Assemble the salad: Prepare a bed of lettuce. Shred the cooked chicken and add the water chestnuts, cashew nuts, shallots, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, galangal, red chili, spring onions and mint leaves.

5. Pour the coconut dressing over the mixture and toss well.

Veggie Omelette Thai Soup

I have to admit that I tried this recipe because it had an omelet in it. I've just recently learned how to make an omelet, and have developed a little obsession with them...

I also wanted a Thai dish that was a bit healthier. This soup is all Veggies and has amazing flavor. Well, that is, it had amazing flavor once I was done with it! I added a lot of spices and different vegetables that weren't called for in the original recipe. The nice thing about this soup is that you can change up the vegetables and use what you have in the house. Also, it doesn't really have any "hard to find" Thai ingredients. The only thing you might have to search for is the Savoy Cabbage. I found some in my regular grocery store, but you might have to visit the Oriental shop again! This is Savoy Cabbage:


So, shall we proceed? Get out your soup pan and let's make some dinner!

Veggie Omelette Thai Soup

2 cans (14oz) Vegetable stock (3 3/4 cups)
2 carrots, finely diced
4 outer leaves Savoy Cabbage, shredded
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teas ginger
14 teas cumin
1/4 teas red pepper flakes
1/4 teas salt
1 egg
1 TB peanut oil
2 TB Soy Sauce
1/2 teas white sugar
1/2 teas ground black pepper
fresh cilantro to garnish

1. Put the stock in a large pan. Add vegetables and all the spices to the salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, crack the egg in a bowl, and beat lightly with a fork. Heat the oil in a small frying pan until hot, but not smoking. Pour in the egg and swirl the pan so that it coats the base evenly. Cook over a medium heat, flipping once, until the omelet has set, and the underside is golden brown. Slide it out of the pan and roll it up. Slice into 1/4in. rounds and set aside for garnish.


When the soup has simmered for 5 minutes, add the soy sauce, sugar, and pepper.


Stir well, then pour into bowls. Top with omelette rounds and cilantro garnish.

Enjoy! This is a very light soup, but packs a punch with the crunchy cabbage, soft carrots and mushrooms, and the spices.


For desert serve fresh fruit! Thai desserts are mainly fruit, and the flavor of the fruit works well in cleansing your palette.

Mussaman Curry

Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines. Thanks to my husband for getting me an amazing Thai cookbook, it is now easy to cook at home as well. Some of the ingredients can be hard to find though. For help with definitions of ingredients and how to use them, read this post. The * by an ingredient means you will have to go to an Asian store to find it.

Mussaman curry is amazing with any type of meat you like. Pork, beef, chicken; it can handle it all. I personally like chicken the best, but feel free to experiment!

Mussaman Curry

1Tb peanut oil

3-4 Tb Mussaman curry (Mae Ploy brand) * (Can use less for a milder flavor)

1 can coconut milk

1 cup of meat- cooked

1 potato, cut in small bite-sized pieces

1/4 cup diced onion

Handful of Cashews or Peanuts

1/2 cup of water

1/2-1 can Green Beans (optional)

3 teas sugar

2 teas lemon juice

Jasmine Rice

Start cooking your Jasmine Rice.

Rinse 1 cup rice in a colander until water runs clear. Put in pan with 1 ½ cups liquid. (Water is the most common, but coconut milk makes a wonderful rice as well!) Combine and bring to soft boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand covered for 10 minutes.
Fluff w/ fork. Makes 3 cups cooked rice.

To make Mussaman:

Heat the oil in a large pan or Wok. When the oil is hot, add the curry. Heat.

Add 1 cup coconut milk, and whisk together until the curry is mixed. (picture above)

Add meat and another 1/2 cup of coconut milk, heat until boiling.

In the meantime, cook potatoes in the microwave until cooked.

Add cooked potatoes to soup. Add onion, nuts, 1/2 cup of water, and green beans. Cook until the vegetables soften.

Add 3 teas sugar, 2 teas lemon juice. Taste and season as required.

Serve over Jasmine Rice.

Serve the Mussaman over the Jasmine rice. Take a bite, close your eyes, and enjoy the flavors rolling over your tongue!

Thai Food Tuesdays! An introduction to Thai food

Thai Fried Rice with Beef

I love Thai food. It's a love affair that started in college when my then-boyfriend, now husband took me to this little restaurant in town. The flavors and the textures of Thai cuisine are amazing. They roll of off your tongue in waves. Curry has to be my favorite, but I'm really in love with all things Thai.

A few years back, I received a great Thai cookbook for Christmas. It has an amazing section on Thai food traditions, ingredients, and general how-to. Because this book makes Thai food easy to prepare, I can now cook it at home for my family.

I will be posting my first Thai recipe tomorrow, but then I will schedule a Thai recipe regularly every Tuesday until I run out! Today, I want to focus on some of the uncommon ingredients. (Most information taken from the book referenced above)

If you are in a hurry to cook tonight, see my older Thai recipes. Chicken Satay with Coconut Rice, or Thai Fried Rice with Beef.

Where do I find the ingredients? Most large cities have Asian marketplaces that sell Thai food ingredients. Most of the time, the products are cheaper there as well. If you are in Salt Lake City, there is a great market on 800 S. and 200 E. It is in the same building as an Asian restaurant. Also, many ingredients are found in a common supermarket.

Traditional meals

Unlike in America, where we have Appetizers, Main dishes, Sides, and Desert, Thai meals are generally an informal affair. Food is separated into a savory course and a sweet course, but within these categories all dishes are served at the same time. Everyone just helps themselves to what is on the table.

The main meal is usually a variety of dishes, served in no particular order. Desert is usually based on fruit or coconut and rice or flour, and are often very sweet with a delicate, scented flavor.

So, although I might label the recipes I post as "Main dish", or "side dish", they are really all served at once.

Rice is the most important Thai ingredient. The most common is Jasmine Rice. I go into more detail on how to cook Jasmine Rice here.
Jasmine rice is found in grocery stores, and specialty stores. If I use a recipe that calls for a different kind of rice or noodle, then I will give instructions on how to cook them in that post.

Shallots from Thailand are pink/purple in color, sweeter, and not so juicy as onions. They can be found in Asian markets, or get the "american" version at the supermarket.

Scallions are Green Onions.


Coconut Milk and Coconut Cream comes in cans and is found in a supermarket by the Ethnic foods.

Lemongrass is a long tubular herb essential in Thai cooking. They are available in Asian markets. Like an onion, lemongrass has outer layers that need to be peeled off to get to the juicy core. Only the bottom 6 inches or so is used in recipes. Sliced lemon grass can be frozen and used straight from the freezer. Dry and jarred lemongrass is available, but it is not as potent.


Ginger I've had success using both fresh and marinated ginger. Both are available in your local supermarket.

Curry pastes and powders are essential in Thai cooking. I highly recommend the brand "Mae Ploy". These are larger containers, and are generally around $2.00. These can be found in Asian markets. I found a little tiny bottle of Red Curry in the supermarket for $6.00. Asian supermarkets can charge less because the products are not "specialty" there.


Don't let Fish Sauce scare you away. It is one of the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine. The strong flavor becomes less pronounced when cooked. Fish Sauce in Thai food is like Salt in American food. Use it! (unless you're allergic of course!) Readily available at the supermarket or cheaper at Asian stores.

You will also want a good bottle of Soy Sauce.

If any other "strange" ingredients come up doing our cooking together, I will be sure to describe them!

Tomorrow's recipe is for classic Mussaman. All you will need "special" for this meal is Mussamun Curry (Mae Ploy brand) and two cans of Coconut Milk. The other ingredients are found in your grocery store.

Thai Fried Rice with Beef and Jasmine rice

This meal is one of my families comfort foods. It's quick and easy to make, and full of flavor. Plus, it gets us to eat our veggies! This recipe also comes from the book featured yesterday.

Thai Fried Rice with Beef


7 oz Beef steak (cut out for vegetarian!)
1 TB Veggie oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups cooked jasmine rice (See below)
1/2 med. head broccoli, coarsely chopped
3 TB soy sauce
1 TB brown sugar (I forgot this last time and didn't miss it)
1 TB Fish sauce (does not taste fishy in the dish!)
ground black pepper
chili sauce, to serve (optional)

1. Trim the steak and cut into very thin strips

2. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and cook garlic over low to med. heat until golden brown. Do not let it burn! Increase the heat to high, add the steak and stir-fry for 2 minutes.


3. Move the pieces of beef to the edges of the wok and break the eggs into the center. When the egg starts to set, stir-fry it with the meat.


4. Add the rice and toss all the contents of the wok together, scraping up any residue on the base. Add broccoli, soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce, and stir-fry for 2 minutes more. Season with pepper and serve immediately w/ chili sauce, or eat as is!

Jasmine Rice


So, I talked a little about Jasmine Rice on the post for Chicken Satay, but I wanted to expand some, and include a basic recipe.

• A good thing to remember: 1 cup dry rice = 3 cups cooked rice!
• Use 1 1/2 cups water to every 1 cup of rice
• Always rinse thouroughly before cooking. This helps remove excess starch and any dust that may have accumulated during storage.
• If you want to add a little more flavor the the rice, simply add herbs or spices with the liquid. They will be absorbed into the rice!
• The rice must be cooked at a low heat. Otherwise, the water will evaporate before the rice is fully cooked

Place rice and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, and turn heat to low.
COVER pan and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove pan from heat, and let rest for 10 minutes.


The first tip above is very important. 1 cup dry rice = 3 cups cooked rice!
When I made this recipe, I put in 3 cups of DRY rice! So... for you lucky readers... you will get 2 recipes from one!

I took the extra rice and made Tropical Rice Pudding!
The post and recipe will be up tomorrow!

Chicken Satay with Coconut Rice

Thai food is one of my favorite food "groups". I love the rich, complicated flavors and textures. I always thought that Thai food would be difficult to make, and so I didn't attempt it very often. Then, a few years ago, my husband got me a great Thai food recipe book for Christmas.

The Cook's Encyclopedia of Thai Cooking

It's a fantastic book of simple recipes. There is also a complete dictionary of commonly used Thai ingredients. Today's great recipe comes from this book.

Chicken Satay

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips

For the marinade:
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 in piece of fresh root ginger, finely grated
2 teas Thai fish sauce
2 TB light soy sauce
1 TB honey

**Words about these ingredients: Ginger- you are welcome to use the jarred, marinated ginger as well.
Fish sauce- it sounds odd, and as a hater of all things seafood, I refused to use it for a long time. Then I learned that fish sauce is used to give the food a salty flavor, and is an essential Thai ingredient. It does NOT taste like fish!

For the satay sauce:
6 TB crunchy peanut butter
1 fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped. (dried chili works as well)
juice of 1 lime
4 TB coconut milk
salt

1. First, make the Marinade. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the chicken strips and mix. Cover and leave for at least 30 minutes in the fridge to marinate.

2. Make the Satay Sauce. Mix all ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth. Check the flavor, and add more lime or salt as needed! I've found that no matter how many times I follow the directions, it tastes slightly different every time. Add ingredients until it meets your tastes! Spoon into a bowl, cover, and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, soak 16 wooden kabob sticks in water to prevent them from burning during cooking.

4. Preheat the grill, or the oven broiler, to high. Drain the sticks, and the chicken. Thread the chicken onto the sticks. You can do as many or as few strips on the sticks as you wish. Grill or broil for 5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through.

Serve immediately with Satay Sauce and coconut rice.

Coconut Rice

1 cup water
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 teas salt
2 TB sugar
2 2/3 cup Jasmine Rice*

*Jasmine rice is amazing. It has a wonderful, nutty taste to it. You can find it in the grocery store, or at oriental markets. To use rice, measure out amount needed in a strainer. Rinse with cool water several times, until all the extra starch is washed off, and the water is clear. (You can also use instant rice if needed)

1. Place the water, coconut milk, salt, and sugar in a large, heavy pan.

2. After rinsing the rice, add to the pan. Cover tightly with a lid, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, without lifting the lid unnecessarily, for 15-20 minutes, until the rice is tender.

3. Turn off the heat and leave the rice to rest in the pan, still covered with the lid, for a further 5-10 minutes.

4. Gently fluff up the rice grains with a fork before transferring it to a warm serving dish.

We eat this dish with a side of steamed veggies. Enjoy!!