The Void and Neztra

My friend HP Sauce has inspired me to write about food, which is, if anyone has ever met me, obviously a love of mine. I love to cook. I am not a genius in the kitchen, but I try hard and like to think that I have a slightly above average pallet. So I am going to start posting recipes as I try them if they are truly good. This weekend, I made a Coconut-Cashew Basmati Rice Salad. This recipe smells SO GOOD when cooking and whets the appetite of your dinner party well before it is ready to eat. It was sheer perfection with grilled salmon, asparagus and green onions. I highly recommend the combination. Here's the rice recipe. I found it in Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill, but changed it up a bit to suit my taste:

2 cups of well rinsed and drained basmati rice
1-14 oz. can of unsweetened coconut milk
2 1/2 cups of water
1 medium sweet, white onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 medium cloves of garlic, finely minced
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
10 large green onions, sliced
1 cup raw cashews, halved
3/4 cup shredded coconut
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 3 Tbsp. of vegetable oil in a large sauce pan with a nice, thick bottom over medium-high heat. Add the sliced white onion, minced garlic and grated ginger. Cook for about five minutes or until the onions are translucent in color, but not browned.

At the same time, in a seperate pan, heat the water and coconut milk over medium heat.

Add the rice to the onions in the sauce pan and saute for about three minutes. When the coconut milk and water comes to a soft boil, pour the liquid gently over the rice and stir quickly to mix. Immediately cover the pan and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Let cook for 20 minutes. DO NOT STIR, MIX, REMOVE LID, OR LOOK AT THE RICE TOO HARD. Seriously, don't touch it for 20 minutes, even though you'll want to.

While the rice is cooking, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the cashews and saute until they begin to brown. Turn the cashews out onto some paper towels to drain and add salt to taste.

Turn the shredded coconut out into the heated pan and toss continuously for a minute until some of the coconut starts to brown. Do not cook until all coconut is brown. you are going for a light toasting, which means about 25% of the coconut pieces will be brown.

Toss three-fourths of the cashews, the toasted coconut and the sliced green onion in a large mixing bowl.

After twenty minutes, fluff the rice with a fork and then add to the bowl with the cashew, coconut and onion mixture. Toss gently to incorporate. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When plating, garnish with a few of the reserved cashews for added presentation.

Yields: A lot more rice than I thought. Enough for six people to have really big servings.