Coconut Basmati Rice Pilaf Recipes

Steps:

• Place rice in a fine strainer, and rinse with cold water until water runs clear. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup water, coconut milk, chicken broth and salt. Cover, and place over medium-high heat. Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce and simmer until liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat, and stir in scallions and ginger. Add a little more coconut milk if rice is too dry. Season to taste with salt. Serve.

Steps:

• Heat chicken stock in a saucepan until boiling; keep hot until ready to use.
• Heat vegetable oil in a 2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion and bay leaf in the hot oil until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir basmati rice into onion mixture until rice is coated with oil.
• Pour hot chicken stock into the rice mixture. Season with salt; stir.
• Bring rice mixture to a boil; cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue simmering until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat and discard bay leaf. Add butter and fluff the rice with a fork.

Steps:

• Place rice in a large, nonstick pot. Cover rice with water and, with your hands, agitate the rice, releasing the starch. Pour off the cloudy water then repeat this process until the water is clear. Pour off the water a final time and drain rice in a colander.
• Place drained rice, 2 cups water, coconut milk, and salt in a large pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a fast boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover pot and simmer rice until just tender and liquid is absorbed, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a large nonstick skillet. Add onions, raisins, and cashews. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
• When liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender, fluff rice with a fork.
• Add onion mixture to rice and toss with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer to a serving bowl.
• TO MAKE AHEAD: Rice can be chilled and refrigerated overnight. Microwave for 3 minutes or until heated through before serving.
• NOTE: Substitute dried cranberries or dried cherries for the raisins for a different flavor boost. Rehydrate them in 1/4-cup warm water and then drain them before using in this recipe.

Steps:

• To wash or not to wash rice? In the case of basmati, no matter what my preparation is, I always wash it. It cleans out any small particles and it also rids the rice of any starch on the grain. This starch makes the rice gummier when cooked.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, add the rice and 4 cups of cold water. Soak the rice for 1/2 hour.
• In a small bowl, add the cumin seeds, cardamom, fennel seeds, cinnamon, black peppercorns, and bay leaves and stir to combine. Turn the mixture out onto a baking sheet and put it in the center of the oven to lightly toast the spices and awaken the flavors, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the spices to cool.
• Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the butter and the onion. Season with salt and cook until the onions are translucent but not brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the spices. Drain the rice but reserve the soaking water. Stir in the rice and cook until you hear the rice crackling, about 2 minutes. Gently stir in the reserved soaking water. Season with a generous portion of salt and bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat.
• Cook the rice over medium-low heat, uncovered and undisturbed, for about 8 minutes. Take a fork (so as not to damage the rice) and flake a few grains off to taste for doneness. It may need to be cooked another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the rice to "rest" (as you would a roast beef) for 10 minutes before "forking" it gently into a serving bowl. Stir in 3 tablespoons of butter, if desired, and serve.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook until soft. Add the drained rice, salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
• While the rice is cooking, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the cashews and cook until lightly golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
• Place coconut milk and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the hot liquid to the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. When the rice is cooked, remove from the oven and fold in the green onion, and coconut. Spoon the rice onto a platter and garnish with the toasted cashews.

Steps:

• Prepare the rice: Soak the rice in 3 cups cold water for 30 minutes to remove the starch.
• Cook the rice: Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat and add butter, onions, and 2 tablespoons water. Cook until translucent but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes. To the pan add cardamom seeds, cayenne, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Stir, and toast until fragrant, 2 minutes. Then, add the rice plus soaking liquid to the pot. Add salt to taste. Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Cover, turn off the heat, and let steam for another 10 minutes. Fluff the rice gently with a fork and serve.

Steps:

• For the rice: Soak the rice in 4 cups of cold water for 30 minutes.
• For the chicken: Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet in a single layer. Season all sides of the chicken with salt. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, use a pair of metal tongs to carefully add the pieces, skin-side down, to the oil. Do not crowd the skillet. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the skin is browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and brown the other side, another 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken pieces to a clean baking sheet and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add the garlic and onions. Add the red pepper flakes and some salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic and onions turn light brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the coconut milk, tomatoes and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Arrange the chicken pieces skin-side up in a single layer in the sauce. Pour any juices into the sauce as well. Lower the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Taste for seasoning. Keep warm.
• To cook the rice: While the chicken is cooking, heat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• On a baking sheet, combine the cumin, fennel, cayenne and cinnamon stick. Lightly toast the spices in the oven, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the butter and onion. Season with salt and cook until the onion is translucent but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the spices. Drain the rice, reserving the soaking water. Stir in the rice and cook until you hear it crackling, 1 to 2 minutes. Gently stir in the reserved water. Season with salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook until the water has been absorbed and the rice is fluffy, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the rice to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before "forking" it gently onto plates. Spoon the chicken and sauce over the rice and serve.

Steps:

• In a saucepan, add water; bring to a boil.
• Add the rice and remaining ingredients; stir to combine.
• Return to a boil.
• Stir, cover; reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove cinnamon stick and dried chile.
• Stir to fluff the rice and stir.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, melt butter.
• Saute the onion and almonds over medium heat until onion is soft (not brown) and the almonds are golden.
• Stir in rice; cook stirring for about 4 minutes to release flavor.
• Stir in chopped carrot, currants, orange peel, cinnamon, black pepper and red pepper flakes.
• Carefully stir in chicken broth and water into the rice mixture, stir slightly with a wooden spoon.
• Bring to a boil, and reduce heat.
• Cover the saucepan and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, and the rice is tender (about 20 minutes).
• Season with salt.

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil, lower heat.
• Stir in all other ingredients, return to a boil.
• Lower heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Turn off heat. Don't lift cover. Let sit covered for at least another 15 minutes before serving.