Coconut crispy rice

Crispy rice is my favorite thing and I make it A LOT. It works with any type of rice, long or short grain. This version is with coconut.

Serves 2 - 4

Recipe

• 1 cup rice, rinsed until water runs clear

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

• 1/4 cup coconut yogurt (whole fat normal yogurt will work too but it won’t be as coconut-y)

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Season with salt - like your cooking pasta! - and 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric.

Once boiling, add rice and cook for 8 mins. Strain and let rice cool a bit in a bowl. It should be al dente! Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Separate 1 cup of the par-cooked rice from the rest and combine with coconut yogurt in a separate bowl.

Set a small (~6 in) nonstick pan with coconut oil over medium heat. Once melted, remove from heat. Add coconut yogurt rice mixture to the pan. Moving quickly and carefully!! Press it down to create a thin even layer across the bottom and up sides of the pan — this will be the crust of the crispy rice.

Scoop remaining rice into the pan and smooth to cover crust. Return pan to medium high heat.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, create ~5 holes in rice to allow steam to escape. This will help with the crisping.

Cook, uncovered, for 5 - 8 mins, over medium high heat. Rotating as necessary to make sure its browning evenly. If you feel it needs more oil for crisping, drizzle olive oil around the perimeter of the pan.

Once you can see signs of browning on the sides, cover with lid or heat safe plate and turn flame down to lowest setting. Allow rice to steam and finish cooking for 6 mins.

Uncover. Taste a couple grains of rice to make sure they are cooked. If not ready, cover again and steam for a few more mins.

Verrryyy carefully, flip rice on to a serving plate so the crust is on top. If this seems scary, just scoop onto the plate using a spatula and arranging the crispy parts on top.

Season with more black pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.