Coconut Lemongrass Rice

Taste description: Rich, creamy, slightly sweet, aromatic.

I’ve attempted this very simple recipe several times, and have managed to screw it up every time because I had to keep fiddling with it instead of leaving it alone. Don’t make the same mistake I did.

Here is what you will need:

• 3 stalks of lemongrass, bruised with the back of a
  heavy knife or cleaver, and tied into a knot.
• jasmine rice
• coconut milk
• Thai basil for garnish, if you like

Get a pot large enough to accommodate twice the amount of uncooked rice you will be making. (I made the mistake of using a way too small pot, which resulted in some coconut milk overflow. Rice was still tasty though.)

Rinse the rice in cold water several times, until the water is no longer cloudy.

Place the lemongrass in the bottom of the pot, pour the rice and coconut milk over it. 1 cup of uncooked rice uses 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk.

Bring everything to a boil, stir once, reduce to simmer, cover, leave it alone for 15 minutes. Resist the urge to lift the lid otherwise part of the liquid will evaporate and you will end up with undercooked rice.

Turn off the heat, let it sit for 5 minutes, fluff with fork, and serve (garnish with the basil if you like).