Indonesian Nasi Uduk - Lemongrass scented Coconut Rice

Rice dishes as I have mentioned in several posts are my favourites. I like to try several varieties despite facing opposition from family sometimes. When I was left with a bunch of lemongrass sticks I was wondering what could I do with these. Ofcourse I did freeze them in ziplock bags but how to use it. Call it double blessing, when I came across this coconut rice from Emeril Lagasse. A little googling and it turned out to be Nasi Uduk -Indonesian cousin of Malaysian Nasi Lemak. 

Originally from Jakarta, Nasi uduk meaning mixed rice is now widely popular street food in Indonesia.The dish is simply steamed jasmine rice but requires several sides to go with it thus getting the so called name. Typically it is served with fried chicken,chilly peanut sauces,fritters, tempeh, patties etc with toasted coconut or caramelized shallots on top. Else simply serve the aromatic rice  with a spicy Indian gravy I have done or with a bowl of sambal oelek which I had made earlier.Sambal oelek is very spicy chili paste and hence add very little and at your own risk. 

Ingredients:

Jasmine Rice /Ambe Mohar Rice: 1/2 cup

Lemon grass stalk: 1 bruised and tied as a bundle so that they can be discarded easily after cooking

Kaffir Lime Leaves: 1-2 

Ginger: 1 small piece 

Coconut Milk: 1 cup + as needed to cook the rice

Water: as needed  for cleaning + more to  adjust with the coconut milk

Preparation:

Wash rice in water 2-3 times till water runs clear. In a deep bowl, add rice along with all other ingredients including coconut milk and also little water. Make sure there is enough liquid to cook the rice.Bring to boil stirring continuously to avoid rice sticking to the bottom. Once it boils, reduce to the lowest possible heat and let it cook till the rice is done and the liquids are absorbed. This takes about 10 -12 minutes. 

Remove the dish from heat and let it sit covered for another 10  minutes till the rice finishes cooking under the steam. 

Serve warm with whatever sides you have prepared optionally topped with roasted peanuts or fried shallots or toasted coconut.

A simple easy to cook rice. Exact quantity of liquid is to be used to prepare this as the cooking depends on steam. In case you are not sure whether the rice is done, after 10-12 minutes of simmering slightly open the lid,stir well, add more liquid if needed,put lid back and continue cooking till done.The texture of the rice is mixed with slightly gooeyness and slight dryness.

Grissini -Thin Italian Bread sticks

Now that schools are reopened the problem is finding a snack for the 10 minutes break and also for tea time. Sometimes I feel lunch and dinner which involves planning and preparation can be easily taken care of, but when it comes to snacks we are- I am especially - at a loss. We depend on the regular junk food like chips,biscuits blah blah.. But here also planning helps me if it involves baking. In such cases I plan the baking atleast one day in advance and make sure its ready by tea time. Same thing happened with these breadsticks. For a long time the grissini is something I keep on salivating but too lazy to make but this recipe from LA times looked too easy and had whole wheat flour also in it which made it extra tempting.

Ingredients:

Warm Water: 1/2 cup

Active Dry Yeast/Fast rising Yeast: 1 pkg or 2 and 1/4 tsp

Sugar: 1 tsp

All Purpose Flour: 1 and 1/4 cup

Whole Wheat Flour: 1/2 cup

Olive Oil: 2 tbsp

Salt: 1 tsp

Preparation:

In a big bowl, mix together water,yeast,sugar and 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. Keep aside for 5 minutes until it bubbles or for 10 minutes. Mine did not bubble as my yeast was near its expiry.

Stir in the remaining flour,whole wheat flour, olive oil and salt and knead for about 5-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.Shape it into a round ball and place in an oiled/greased bowl turning once so that it gets coated with oil. Cover with a plastic wrap wrap and keep the dough bowl in a warm place to rise until doubled for about 1hour.

Once risen, divide the dough into four pieces. Take each piece and roll out gently to a thin rectangle. cut each rectangle lengthwise into several strips. Place the strips half inch apart on lined baking sheet. 

Repeat the process with remaining 3 dough balls. You can otherwise wrap them and freeze the dough for future use.

Allow the grissini to rise until puffy for about 30 minutes. Ten minutes into the rising, preheat the oven to 400F or 200 C. Bake the grissini in batches if needed preferably in the top rack of the oven for about 6-10 minutes rotating the baking sheets halfway through. You can see brown spots appearing on the edges and top while baking. Take out and let the sticks cool completely in the wire rack before consuming.

Simple paper thin breadsticks for anytime snacking though especially perfect with tea. These days when the monsoon plays hide 'n seek  here, it is better to enjoy a cuppa of chai with the baked breadsticks rather than any oily fried food.You can also flavour the sticks with your choice of seasoning or spices.