BUTERNUT AND COCONUT BLACK RICE

It was not really long ago that I was introduced to black rice.

From time to time I would find that kind of rice in the menu of restaurants and for some reason alway believed that it would be made with black tint(squid tint) and never got really interested until one day I had as a side to some satay tempeh in a vegetarian restaurant and got really intreagued by the texture, different somehow to other types of rice. It is softer and less dry, a bit sticky! LOVE!

In this warm or cold dish, I mix the black rice with other really loved items in my kitchen. Pumpkin, coconut and spices! It could not go wrong but it turned out even better then I imagined!

I served this recipe with some Reine-Claude and Cococnut Chutney

I hope you enjoy as much as I did!!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
Serves 3-4 people

• ½ medium Butternut squash(you can also use Hokkaido or any other dense sweet squash),
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon curcuma powder
• 1 teaspoon rosmarin
• Juice from half an orange
• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup black rice
• ½ cup grated dried or fresh coconut, toasted
• 2 handfuls fresh coriander, choped
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon dukkah spice

HOW TO:

Soak the rice in water for about 20 min;

Cut the pumpkin in small cubes;

Heat a frying pan with the olive oil, add the butternut cuber, the cinnamon, curcuma powder, rosmarin and the salt and let it cook in medium high heat for about 10 minutes, with a lid on ;

Add the orange juice to the squash, and  give more 5 minutes to cook without a lid on;

Boil a pan with 1L water. Rinse the black rice and cook it in the boiling water for about 20 minutes;

Once the rice is cooked, rinse the cooking water;

Toast the coconut Flakes in a heated frying pan, mixing really well, until they turn light brown;

Mix The rice, butternut, fresh coriander, coconut milk and toasted coconut in a bowl. Top with Dukkah Spices and some of the toasted grated coconut and it’s ready to serve!

The Rice can be served Warm or cold! I personally love it room temperature but it’s all a metter of preference!