Coconut Rice with Ginger and Chilis

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coconut rice

I am obsessed with this coconut rice. I’ve experienced its flavors in restaurants many times and have struggled to recreate them at home. When I learned how to make this rice in my cooking class, I knew it would be a staple in my kitchen from now until eternity. The rice cooks with ease and is delicately flavored with coconut, cinnamon, mustard seeds, ginger, and the delayed-onset heat of a chili. One taste, and you’ll crave this stuff too.

coconut rice

To make it, preheat your oven to 400º F. Melt 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a oven-proof pot over medium heat. Drop in 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds, 1 cinnamon stick, a few slices of fresh ginger, and 1 halved chili. I used a jalapeno, but any chili will work. The oil should simmer very lightly to let the ingredients infuse without burning them.

coconut rice

In a separate container, let 1/4 cup of jasmine rice per serving soak in water for a few minutes. When your oil infusion is fragrant, drain your rice and add it into the pot. Stir the rice around to coat it in the oil. Then, for every 1/4 cup of rice you added, pour in 1/2 cup of lowfat coconut milk. Season the mixture with salt to taste. Stir the rice, cover the pot, and bake it for 17 minutes.

coconut rice

After that time, the rice should be fully cooked and all of the coconut milk should be absorbed. Pick the chili, ginger slices, and cinnamon stick out of the rice and stir it well to distribute the flavors. Garnish the rice with fresh cilanatro and some toasted coconut chips for extra texture. This coconut rice made the perfect side dish to ginger shrimp and snow peas steamed in soy sauce. I really hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

Shopping list:

  • Jasmine rice- 1/4 cup per serving
  • Coconut oil- 1 tablespoon
  • Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
  • Chili pepper- 1
  • Fresh ginger- a few slices
  • Cinnamon stick- 1
  • Lowfat coconut milk- 1/2 cup per serving
  • Salt
  • Cilantro
  • Coconut chips
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Mushroom and Ginger Wontons

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wontons

One of our favorite restaurants, Bangkok Joe’s, has the most delicious dumplings I’ve ever eaten. The first mushrooms I ever liked were in their mushroom and ginger dumplings. They were so flavorful and unique that they insisted on being enjoyed. When I had some wonton wrappers and mushrooms hanging around in my fridge, I decided to make my own version. And while different, these wontons are quite delicious in their own way.

wontons

To make them, finely dice 1 pint of mushrooms, and then brown them in a pan with oil. While they cook, finely dice 1 carrot, and add it to the pan as well. Once the carrot has softened, dice up some water chestnuts (approximately 1/4 cup) and stir them in for a crunchy texture. Then, drizzle over 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of grated ginger (frozen ginger is easiest to grate). Taste your mushroom mixture, and adjust the flavors. Because the filling will be inside the wonton wrapper, you should slightly over-season it.

wontons

Place a small amount of the mushroom filling, about 1 teaspoon, in the centers of your wonton wrappers, and then decide how you would like to fold them. I thought the square wontons looked the prettiest, but the tortellini-style wontons (the ones in the corners) tasted the best. Mysterious. To fold them, wet your finger and then moisten two adjoining edges of the wonton wrapper. Fold the wet corner diagonally over the filling so that it meets the dry corner, and seal the edges. You should now have a triangle. Then, bring the two corners on the longest side of the triangle together, and moisten them to stick.

wontons

Fill a skillet approximately 1 centimeter high with vegetable oil, and heat it over medium-low heat. Test the oil by dropping in a small piece of wonton wrapper. When bubbles form around the wrapper, the wontons are ready to fry. Place the wontons in the oil until they brown, which takes approximately 1 minute. Rotate the wontons in the oil so that all sides crisp. Drain the wontons on paper towels. To make a simple dipping sauce, whisk together 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Dip away and enjoy your crispy and flavorful treats!

Shopping list:

  • Wonton wrappers
  • Mushrooms- 1 pint
  • Carrot- 1
  • Water chestnuts
  • Soy sauce
  • Sesame oil
  • Sesame seeds
  • Ginger
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Cilantro
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Peach Kugel

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peach kugel

This Passover peach kugel is my mom’s specialty. I remember the first year she made it, everyone raved about it and has demanded it since. It is sweet and delicious, and its large peach slices make it a colorful alternative to the more ubiquitous (but equally as delicious) potato kugel. Until making the peach kugel myself, I always thought it had noodles in it. Nope- all matzah! The matzah is softened and combined with many eggs, so when it bakes, it takes on a very noodley consistency.

peach kugel

To make it, preheat your oven to 350º F. Crush up a 1 pound box of matzah into 1/2 inch pieces, and add them to a very large bowl. Alternatively, you can use 1 pound of matzah farfel, which I believe is pre-crushed 1/2 inch pieces of matzah. Fill the bowl of matzah with hot water, and let the matzah sit for about 5 minutes until it is softened. Then, strain the matzah, pushing down on it slightly to get rid of the water. Return the matzah to the bowl.

peach kugel

While the matzah soaks, melt 3 sticks of margarine (3/4 pound), and let it cool. Crack 7 eggs into a separate, medium-sized bowl. Add the cooled margarine to the eggs, and whisk them together. Pour them into the bowl of matzah, and stir. Then, to the medium bowl, add 1 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Open 3 cans (16 ounces each) of sliced peaches (the kind in juice, not syrup), and strain the peach juice into the bowl, keeping the peach slices aside. Whisk the peach and sugar mixture, and then stir it into the matzah.

peach kugel

Grease a 3 quart baking dish. Pour half of the matzah mixture into the dish, and spread it evenly. Place half of the peach slices atop the matzah. Then, pour on the second half of the matzah mixture, and layer on the second half of the peaches, pushing them down slightly so they are flush with the matzah.

peach kugel

Sprinkle the top of the kugel with cinnamon (approximately 2 tablespoons) and sugar (approximately 1/4 cup). Bake it, uncovered, for 1 hour until the matzah is set and the sugar on top has formed a nice crust. Let me know if this kugel reminds you of noodles too. And enjoy!

Shopping list:

  • Matzah (or matzah farfel)- 1 pound
  • Peach slices in 100% juice- 3 16 ounce cans
  • Eggs- 7
  • Margarine- 3/4 pound
  • Sugar- 1 1/4 cups
  • Vanilla extract- 1 teaspoon
  • Salt- 3/4 teaspoon
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