Cooking Recipe Com Chay (Buddha Rice)
Recipe Ingredients
Directions
Buddha rice is a vegetarian dish honored by all Vietnamese and is
eaten on certain days of the month that have religious significance
and during the moon's full phase. This recipe comes from Binh's aunt
(Binh is the author of the cookbook), one of his first cooking
teachers.
1. To make coconut milk from a fresh coconut, take a hammer or heavy
cleaver and hit the coconut over a sink all around the center,
forming a circle. The coconut should break in half easily; if not,
hit it a few more times. Discard the water that comes from the middle
and remove the outer shell. Cut the halves in smaller pieces. Peel
each piece, then gate or shred the coconut. Put the coconut meat in a
medium bowl and cover with 2 cups hot water. Let stand for about 8
minutes, then pour the coconut mixture through a fine strainer placed
over a bowl. Press hard to extract as much "cream" as possible. Add
enough water to make three cups coconut liquid or combine the canned
unsweetened coconut milk with water.
2. Rinse the rice in several changes of water and drain well in a
colander. Let the rice dry in the colander, shaking it occasionally.
3. In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add
the ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice
and cook, stirring to coat it well, about 2 minutes. Stir in the
salt, bay leaf, coconut liquid, and soy sauce and bring to a boil.
Let the rice cook without stirring, uncovered, until the liquid
settles and holes form all over the top, about 5 minutes. reduce the
heat to very low, cover tightly, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from
the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and
stir the rice to fluff it up. Serve hot. The rice can sit, covered,
for up to 1 hour before serving.
Source: Simple Art of Vietnamese Cooking
From The Cookie Lady's Files