MEXICAN-ISH RISOTTO

Ingredienser

1½ cups full-fat coconut milk

2 tablespoons pure olive oil

2 cups short-grain brown rice

½ cup chopped white or yellow onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 dried bay leaf

½ cinnamon stick, or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 whole dried chile de árbol

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Vejledning

In a medium pot set over medium-low heat, combine 3 cups of water with the coconut milk and heat until the liquid is warm. Reduce the heat to low.

In a second medium pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add the rice, onion, garlic, cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and chile and toast, stirring, until the rice is well coated in the oil and the spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Add 1 cup of the warm coconut liquid to the rice and stir until it is absorbed, 5 to 8 minutes. Continue to add more liquid, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly, until the rice is tender (but still a little al dente at the core), 25 to 30 minutes total. Stir in the remaining ½ cup of coconut liquid and season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and chile before serving.

Notater

Unlike the standard rice cooking method, the technique in this recipe calls for gradually adding the liquid, ladleful by ladleful, to make a creamy porridge, sort of like Italian risotto. We add some chile and cinnamon to make it a little Mexican. While this is technically a savory dish, the cinnamon adds just enough of a sweet note that you can add honey, maple syrup, or agave and butter and have it for breakfast. If you’re serving it classic-style for dinner, try it with Grilled Spicy Diablo Shrimp (this page) or pan-fried with chorizo and a fried egg.