Creamy Coconut Basmati Rice & Package Pal Reveal

Gentri @ Gentri Lee has gone to amazing lengths to organize this thing and I'm super stoked for it! The idea is you put together a package to send to your pal filled with whatever you think he/she would like, items from your respective countries, or whatever. And now, I have my Package Pal! You can check out her blogs by clicking here and here. Good lord the woman has 2 blogs! I don't know how she does it - I'm already impressed! I can barely find time to keep up with one! And while Gentri's package pal is in Germany, I'm pretty sure Utah (where my pal is from) is pretty much like a foreign land compared to my little island. Super fun!

But I'm super nervous about what to send her. Any ideas??

It's too bad I can't send her some of the following: Creamy Coconut Basmati Rice. It's delicious and I think coconut milk makes everything better. I don't know how well it'd fare crossing the border though. I modified this recipe from it's original which I actually found on Recipezaar (now Food.com) a million years ago. This is great for a rich, flavorful side dish - I like to make it before we go camping and then just re-heat.

Oh, camping, how I miss thee....

Right! Rice! Focus!

Creamy Coconut Basmati Rice

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 C Water.

1 C Basmati Rice, well rinsed.

2/3 C Coconut Milk.

1 Tsp Garam Masala.

1/4 Tsp Sea Salt.

1 Cinnamon Stick. 

1/4 C Raisins.

1/2 L Sweet Onion, diced.

1 C Frozen Peas or Blanched Fresh Peas (optional).

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

What to Do:

Bring water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. 

Stir in the rice and all the remaining ingredients. Allow to return to a boil, stir well, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

While that simmers, heat a medium sized non-stick pan over medium heat with a bit of olive oil. When hot, toss in the onions and stir well. Cook until translucent - approx 3-5 minutes. Set aside.

Also, if you so desire, pull some frozen peas out of the freezer (about a cup) and cook according to bag directions. Set aside.

Remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, quickly stir in the raisins, peas, and onions, and re-cover. Let sit a further 5 minutes. Serve with Jerk Tilapia.

Eat.

P.S. Little self-indulgent side note: happy 31st birthday to me.