Scented Coconut Rice with a Bit of Sole
There are some nights when I enter the door and wish for this: a pair of fuzzy slippers handed to me. A glass of wine already poured. The table set, fresh flowers, dinner warm and ready. Maybe a little Chet Baker and a quiet conversation.
But tonight was one of those nights where I barreled in the door- 8 p.m. spent and tired after a long day, a doctor’s appointment, a gas tank near empty, a busy grocery store parking lot and every register lined up five people deep- to three meals worth of dirty dishes plus a blackened saucepan (and no dishwasher), a pile of unopened mail, garbage that needed to be taken out right now , and those darn groceries that needed to be put away.
If not for the creamy coconut rice steamed and waiting, and that little bit of sole…
But there was that. And Chet Baker. And some evenings, that’s just enough.
{RECIPE} COCONUT RICE & SOLE
{MAKES} Enough for two
{INGREDIENTS}
Scented Coconut Rice:
3 slices fresh ginger, 1″ thick
1 C brown jasmine rice
3/4 unsweetened coconut milk
3/4 water
1⁄2 tsp salt
Sole:
4 sole fillets
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp salt
Sauce:
1 lime, juiced
1 TB honey
1 TB dark soy
1/2 tsp lime zest
1/2 tsp chili flakes
one. To make the rice in a rice cooker: rinse the rice in a strainer under cold running water, or until the water begins to clear. Transfer the rice to a rice cooker. Toss in the ginger, coconut milk, water and salt. (I cannot fathom life without a rice cooker, but here are directions to make this on the stove top if you don’t have one.)
two. To cook the sole: in a large, preferably non-stick skillet over medium-high, heat the olive oil. Sprinkle salt on the fillets, add to the pan and sear each side for 2-3 minutes or until barely cooked through. Remove from heat and slide onto a large plate. Handle your sole gently- it’s delicate.
three. To make sauce for the sole: mix lime juice, honey, soy sauce, lime zest and chili flakes in a small bowl. Pour over the fish. Break up fillets into smaller pieces to serve.
four. Serve sole and sauce over scented coconut rice. With Chet Baker.
{INSPIRED BY}
Saveur’s Coconut Brown Rice
