One-Pot Turmeric Coconut Rice With Greens

• Yield 4 servings
• Time 40 minutes

Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist:Vivian Lui 

No matter how you modify this one-pot rice, it can’t help but simultaneously comfort and enliven: The rice is cooked with turmeric, black pepper and rich coconut milk, which is all brightened by a mix of coconut, sesame seeds and lime. The greens, which conveniently cook on top of the rice, can be swapped out for anything that steams in 10 minutes, such as frozen peas or edamame, green beans, broccoli, grated carrots or sliced fennel. While a meal all on its own, this rice would also be great accompanied by tofu, white fish, chicken thighs or stewed black beans. Prepared as written, this dish has a relatively pure, mild flavor, so if you want more oomph, add more turmeric and saffron and season with plenty of salt and pepper as you cook.

Ingredients

• 2 cups long-grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 tablespoon white or black sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
• Pinch of saffron (optional)
• Kosher salt
• 1 medium bunch kale, spinach or Swiss chard
• 1 lime

Preparation

1. Rinse rice until water runs clear. Drain and set aside.
2. In a medium pot or Dutch oven, toast the coconut and sesame seeds over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to prevent burning.) Transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out the pot.
3. In the same pot, melt the coconut oil over medium-low. Add the scallion whites, turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cook, stirring, until aromatic and lightly toasted, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Add the rice, coconut milk, saffron (if using), and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Fill the empty can of coconut milk with water and add it to the pot. Give the mixture a good stir to separate any lumps and bring to a boil over medium-high.
5. Once boiling, cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. As rice cooks, remove and discard the tough stems of the leafy greens, if needed, and cut or tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. When the rice has cooked for 10 minutes, arrange the greens on top of the rice in an even layer and season well with salt and pepper. Cover, and cook until the rice is tender, 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 5 minutes.
7. As rice rests, zest the lime and cut it into 4 wedges. Add 1/2 teaspoon zest to the coconut-sesame mixture, along with the scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
8. Gently stir the greens into the rice using a spatula or fork, season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls. Sprinkle the coconut mixture on top and serve with a lime wedge for squeezing over.

Cooking Notes

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Anna13 hours ago

I also added more turmeric, and found I needed to add more liquid than the recipe called for.

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CF1 day ago

I had high hopes for this recipe but in the end it was incredibly tasteless. In the future I would definitely amp up the flavor with ginger, garlic, curry paste - any type of sofrito like base. The ratio of rice to liquids ensured a nice fluffy end product.

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Maria2 days ago

I cooked rice for 17 minutes. As a rule: Firm rice 1 1/4 cup liquid to 1 cup rice Softer rice 2 cups liquid water to 2 cups rice Keeping this ratio in mind I adjusted to liquid Recipe does state season with plenty of salt and pepper. Overall recipe very good

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Tammy3 days ago

I used 3 scallions, garlic, and a heaping tablespoon of green curry paste in the rice. Used a cube of vegetable bouillon instead of salt. If you use the two cans of liquid the recipe calls for, you'd end up with 28oz--far too much for the typical 1:1 rice to liquid ratio. I added enough water to the coconut milk to make it 2 cups, or 16 fluid ounces. I cooked the rice for 10 minutes after adding the greens and that resulted in well cooked, not-mushy rice.

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Fat Rice

Tweaked this recipe from Epicurious by making the sofritto and chicken portion only with the rice. I skipped the seafood as our family is not fond of it.

If paella escaped from Spain, sailed to China, and did some soul-searching along the way, you'd have arroz gordo, the namesake dish at Chicago's Fat Rice. The generous pot of aromatic rice, curry-scented chicken, and (much) more can be traced back to Macau, the former Portuguese colony in China, where it's almost always served at home. Chefs Conlon and Lo took inspiration from foreign-language cookbooks; their version is a blend of Portuguese and Chinese cooking that Conlon calls "the original fusion."

Marinated chicken:

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)

1. Soffritto:
   • 2 tablespoons olive oil
   • 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
   • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
   • Kosher salt
   • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
   • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
   • 1 teaspoon (or more) Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
   • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
   • Freshly ground black pepper
2. Rice:
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 ounces cured Spanish chorizo, thinly sliced
• 3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
• 4 ounces Chinese sausage or andouille sausage, thinly sliced
3. For marinated chicken:
   1. Whisk garlic, lemon juice, paprika, curry powder, and turmeric in a medium bowl; add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 6 hours.
   2. DO AHEAD: Chicken can be marinated 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
   For soffritto:

   1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bell peppers and onion; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until softened, 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are caramelized, 45-60 minutes.
   2. Add garlic and tomato paste to skillet and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato paste begins to darken, 10-15 minutes longer. Mix in vinegar and paprika; season with salt and pepper.
   3. DO AHEAD: Soffritto can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill.

   For rice:

   1. Remove chicken from marinade; season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy 5-6-quart pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, skin side down, until skin is brown and crisp, 10-12 minutes; transfer to a plate. (You can remove bones at this point, if desired.)
   2. Reduce heat to medium. Add chorizo to pot and cook, stirring often, until crisp, about 2 minutes; transfer to a small bowl.
   3. Add soffritto to pot and cook, stirring constantly, until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add broth, scraping up any browned bits; season with salt (salting liquid adequately here is important for flavorful rice). Add rice, sausage, chorizo, and raisins. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, arrange chicken on top, cover pot, and simmer gently, until rice is tender, 20-25 minutes. Uncover; increase heat to medium-high. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons oil around edges of pot and cook, undisturbed, until underside of rice is crunchy, about 5 minutes longer.

   A Doable Feast

   Pulling off this centerpiece-worthy dish is a matter of knowing when to get serious (hint: prep!) and when to chill. Here's our approach. 
4. Strategize
   Most of this dish can be made in advance: Caramelize the soffritto up to three days ahead. Marinate the chicken thighs the day before. After that, everything comes together in a single pot. 
5. Improvise
   There's no one way to make arroz gordo. Fat Rice's recipe uses chef Abraham Conlon's favorite ingredients, but if they're not yours, change them up.  It's more important to use the best ingredients. 
6. Attack
   Set the pot of Fat Rice on the table and let guests dig in: This is not a dish for shy eaters.The best part—scraping away the dark, crisped patches of rice from the bottom of the pot—is saved for last.

Perfect Pilaf

From Toledo Blade.

How to make a perfect pilaf

Here are the basic steps to making a perfect pilaf:

• Rinse the rice well under running water to remove excess starch.

• Soak the rice in salted water for at least 1 hour to shorten the cooking time.

• Cook the rice like pasta, in plenty of boiling salted water, until it is almost done.

• Spoon the rice into a pan with whatever flavorings you want, mounding it slightly. This gives the grains room to expand.

Sprinkle over more water, and fat if you wish, cover tightly and cook over the lowest possible heat for at least 35 minutes.

Remove from heat, take off the lid, cover pan with a tea towel, put lid back on tightly and let stand for 10 minutes before serving to let the rice firm and reduce moisture.

Muceddere (Rice Pilaf with Chickpeas, Lentils, and Browned Onions)

1 cup basmati rice

4 tablespoons plus 1  1/4teaspoons salt, or to taste

1/4 cup lentils (preferably green)

1/4 cup orzo pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

1  1/2 cups sliced onion (about 1 medium onion)

2 teaspoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cup canned chickpeas

1 cup peeled, seeded, chopped tomatoes (about 6 small)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Turkish red pepper or smoked paprika

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Cook's note: This can be a side dish or, if served with yogurt, a vegetarian main dish.

Place the rice in a strainer and rinse under the faucet, shaking to stir frequently. Transfer to a bowl and add enough lukewarm water to cover. Stir in 2 tablespoons salt and set aside to soak for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours.

Add the lentils to 1 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook until they are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add 2 more tablespoons of salt, then add the rice and orzo and boil gently for 3-4 minutes, until almost cooked. Check by trying a grain: It should still have a bit of bite to it. Drain, rinse and set aside to drain.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sugar, and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, or to taste. Cover the saucepan and cook gently until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover the pan, increase the heat to high and stir in the lemon juice. Cook, stirring, until the onions are browned, 4-5 minutes. Do not let the onions scorch.

Add the rice, lentils, orzo, and chickpeas to the saucepan and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, lentils, cumin, red pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of water. Cover the pan with a tight lid and cook on the lowest possible heat for 35 minutes (a heat diffuser helps).

Turn off the heat, wrap the lid in a tea towel, cover the pan and set aside for 10 minutes. Use a fork to stir in the cilantro and serve.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Source:  Adapted from Özcan Ozan’s The Sultan’s Kitchen.

Each of 6 servings: 308 calories; 7 grams protein; 47 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 4 grams sugar; 1,128 mg sodium.

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/Food/2012/11/27/Back-to-the-basics-of-rice-Cookbook-writer-Yotam-Ottolenghi-points-the-way-to-perfect-pilaf.html#Ox0fQjA0CAsHsEI6.99

Persian Saffron Brown Rice

From Beverly Hills Farmgirl.

Serves 8 as a side dish

2 cups brown basmati rice
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, Earth Balance or unsalted butter
A large pinch (about 1 teaspoon) saffron threads, dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water

1. In a large bowl, cover the rice with plenty of lukewarm water and swish around with your hands. Allow to soak for 1 – 3 hours, the longer the better (this process removes residual grit and starch, allowing the rice to give off a delightful perfume that unwashed rice does not have).

2. Drain the rice into a colander; bring a medium heavy pot (with a tight-fitting lid) of water and the salt to a boil (as if you were cooking pasta). Boil the rice uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the rice is al dente. Drain the rice once again into the colander. Pour the oil into the bottom of the pot, stir in about a cup of par-cooked rice, a tablespoon of the saffron water and 1/2 cup of water, and spread it out flat with the back of the spoon. Now pour back the rest of the rice into the pot without stirring. Place a kitchen towel on top and cover with the lid. Allow to steam over a very low flame until fluffy, 40-50 minutes (be very careful the bottom is not burning). Check the rice and add water if needed to continue cooking until fluffy and dry. Remove from the heat to a damp surface (this will help free the crust from the bottom of the pot). Sprinkle the remaining saffron water on top and cover again. Allow the pot to cool for 10 minutes.

Here are some ways to customize your Persian Saffron Brown Rice. Serve them on the side or mixed in:

— Sautéed onions, cooked lentils, currants, cinnamon and cumin, pine nuts
— Sautéed onions, dates, cardamom, pistachios
— Fresh mint, marinated artichokes hearts, cooked peas and lemon zest
— Chopped scallions and assorted fresh herbs
— Sautéed julienned carrots, dried apricot bits, dates, pistachios, orange zest, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon (Jeweled Rice)
— Fresh fava or lima beans sautéed with scallions, fresh dill and garlic
— Moroccan Tofu Stew
— Tofu Tikka Masala
— Spinach Paneer
— Green beans sautéed with garlic, tomatoes and lime zest, topped with roasted cashews
— Fresh (or canned in water) pitted tart cherries with their juice (reduced to a syrup), slivered almonds, cinnamon
— Sautéed onions and zucchini, tofu, garlic, lemon zest
— Sautéed onions and spinach, chick peas, yellow raisins, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, pine nuts
— Pomegranate seeds, toasted walnuts, roasted butternut squash, pomegranate molasses

Ginger Chicken Congee

From WSJ.

To my mind, the savory breakfast cereal of champions is congee, a silky, soupy rice porridge that is thought to have originated in China during the Zhou dynasty and remains a morning staple throughout East Asia. In its most elemental form, congee is nothing more than rice simmered in stock or water until the grains disintegrate. It's the garnishes that let a cook get creative.

In China, laba zhou—a rich rice porridge of assorted grains, red beans, nuts and dried fruits—is traditionally eaten in early-to-mid-January, to kick off the celebration of the Lunar New Year. But even simple additions, like chopped scallions or a dash of fish sauce, can make a congee sing.

In deep midwinter, when roast chicken is my Sunday-supper constant, I often simmer a stock from the leftover bones. Monday morning, into my biggest pot that goes, along with a cup of rice, a flurry of salt and a knob of fresh ginger. An hour later, the kitchen is fragrant and cozy, and my stomach is rumbling. Finished with fiery chili-sesame oil and a spoonful of crushed peanuts, the result is a grown-up porridge that never fails to make my inner Oliver Twist beg for more.

Total Time: 1¼ hours Serves: 6

4 cups chicken stock

6 cups water

1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced

1 cup long grain white rice, such as jasmine

1½ teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped chives, for garnish

Crushed peanuts, for garnish

Chili-sesame oil, for garnish

1. In a medium-large saucepan, combine stock, water, ginger, rice and 1½ teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then stir and reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice has broken down and congee has consistency of a thin oatmeal, about 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Ladle congee into bowls. Garnish each portion with chives, peanuts and a drizzle of oil.

Arròs Caldós With Chicken, Chorizo and Mushrooms

This Spanish rice dish from chef Brett Emerson of San Francisco's Contigo is just as delicious as paella and infinitely easier to make

OVER A DECADE ago, when Brett Emerson made his first trip to Spain, the notion of opening Contigo, his Spanish restaurant in San Francisco, hadn't even occurred to him. But a few weeks of exploring the country and its kitchens changed everything. "I fell in love with the food and the way of eating," he said.

For his first Slow Food Fast contribution, Mr. Emerson shares a recipe for arròs caldós (translation: soupy rice). In Spain's Valencia and Catalonia regions, this homey classic is served throughout the year with an ever-changing lineup of seasonal ingredients. Mr. Emerson's current take combines short-grain rice with crushed tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, spinach, chorizo and pulled chicken. "We call it soupy paella on our menu because it's easier for people to understand," he said. "You have to eat this with a spoon."

The tomato broth that binds everything comes together surprisingly quickly, considering its depth. "You are cooking this at a high temperature so it bubbles vigorously," Mr. Emerson said. "That is how you concentrate the flavors and break down the starch." The result has an almost creamy texture and warming notes from saffron and rosemary.

"This is easier to make than a paella, and it's no less flavorful," Mr. Emerson said. It's exactly the kind of dish that got him hooked on Spanish cooking all those years ago. "I wasn't looking for an a-ha moment, but I had one," he said. "I wanted to capture the simplicity of that food."

—Kitty Greenwald

Total Time: 40 minutes Serves: 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ medium onion, finely chopped

1 pinch saffron (about 10 threads)

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces

2 ounces chorizo, halved lengthwise and sliced into half moons (optional)

½ cup puréed tomatoes

5-6 cups chicken stock

Salt

Meat from ½ rotisserie chicken (about 1 pound), skin discarded, torn into bite-size pieces, white and dark meat separated

1 cup short-grain rice

Zest and juice of ½ lemon

1½ cups baby spinach leaves

1. Heat oil in a heavy pot over low-medium heat. Sauté onions until translucent and soft, about 7 minutes. Stir in saffron, rosemary and garlic and cook until aromatic, 1-2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and stir in mushrooms and chorizo, if using. Sauté until browned, 1–2 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer until darkened in color, about 5 minutes.

2. Increase heat to high and add stock to pot. Bring to a vigorous boil and season with salt. Stir in dark chicken meat and rice. Boil, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.

3. Stir in white chicken meat and lemon zest. Cook until rice is al dente, 3-5 minutes more. (Rice should be a little soupy; if it is not, add a few splashes of stock.) Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and season with lemon juice and salt to taste.

Cuban-Style Black Beans and Rice (Moros y Cristianos)

From Cook's Illustrated.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

For our Cuban-Style Black Beans and Rice recipe, we sautéed the aromatics in a pan in which we had crisped some diced salt pork and rendered its fat; this gave the dish a rich backbone. Including onion, green pepper, garlic, and bay leaves in the pot with the rice as it precooked bumped up the flavor. Washing off the rice’s excess starch helped prevent the grains from sticking to one another, and using an oven-based cooking technique ensured that the rice cooked evenly from top to bottom.
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Serves 6 to 8 as an entree and 8 to 10 as a side dish

Serve this recipe as a side dish or as a main course with a simple green salad. It is important to use lean—not fatty—salt pork. If you can’t find it, substitute six slices of bacon. If using bacon, decrease the cooking time in step 4 to eight minutes. For a vegetarian version of this recipe, use water instead of chicken broth, omit the salt pork, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste with the vegetables in step 4, and increase the amount of salt in step 5 to 1½ teaspoons.

INGREDIENTS

• Table salt
• 1cup dried black beans, rinsed and picked over
• 2cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note)
• 2cups water
• 2large green bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 1large onion, halved at equator and peeled, root end left intact
• 1head garlic, 5 medium cloves removed and minced or pressed through garlic press (about 5 teaspoons), remaining head halved at equator with skin left intact
• 2bay leaves
• 1 1/2cups long grain white rice
• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 6ounces lean salt pork, cut into 1/4-inch dice (see note)
• 1tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves
• 4teaspoons ground cumin
• 2tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2medium scallions, sliced thin
• 1lime, cut into 8 wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Dissolve 1½ tablespoons salt in 2 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
   2. In large Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid, stir together drained beans, broth, water, 1 pepper half, 1 onion half (with root end), halved garlic head, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until beans are just soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Using tongs, remove and discard pepper, onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Drain beans in colander set over large bowl, reserving 2½ cups bean cooking liquid. (If you don’t have enough bean cooking liquid, add water to equal 2½ cups.) Do not wash out Dutch oven.
   3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place rice in large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear, about 1½ minutes. Shake strainer vigorously to remove all excess water; set rice aside. Cut remaining peppers and onion into 2-inch pieces and process in food processor until broken into rough ¼-inch pieces, about eight 1-second pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary; set vegetables aside.
   4. In now-empty Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil and salt pork over medium-low heat; cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and rendered, 15 to 20 minutes. Add remaining tablespoon oil, chopped peppers and onion, oregano, and cumin. Increase heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and stir to coat, about 30 seconds.
   5. Stir in beans, reserved bean cooking liquid, vinegar, and ½ teaspoon salt. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Cover and transfer to oven. Bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Fluff with fork and let rest, uncovered, 5 minutes. Serve, passing scallion and lime wedges separately.

TECHNIQUE

DEEPLY FLAVORED BLACK BEANS AND RICE

1. ENRICH BEANS Simmering the beans in water and chicken broth bolstered with salt, garlic, bell pepper, onion, and garlic adds extra flavor.

2. RINSE RICE Washing excess starch off the rice with plenty of cool running water helps the grains cook up fluffy, not sticky.

3. DEEPEN SOFRITO FLAVOR Lightly browning the sofrito vegetables and spices with the rendered salt pork adds complex, meaty flavor.

4. ADD BEAN COOKING LIQUID Cooking the rice and beans in the reserved bean cooking liquid plus red wine vinegar imbues the dish with flavor.

5. BAKE IN OVEN Baking the beans and rice eliminates the crusty bottom that can form when the dish is cooked on the stove.

TECHNIQUE

WHAT IS SOFRITO?

A sofrito serves as the fundamental flavor base for many Cuban dishes, including this one. The combination of onion, green pepper, and garlic (and often cumin and oregano) is a close relative of the French mirepoix, which features onion, carrot, and celery.