Coconut, curry and nutmeg cookies

Spice up your next dinner with four recipes from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Editor's note: The following recipes are excerpted from "Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking From the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia" by James Oseland. To read an interview with Oseland, click here.

By James Oseland

Read more: Cooking, Recipes, Life, Eat and Drink, Food and Travel

Dec. 12, 2006 | Lemongrass-Scented Coconut Rice
Nasi Uduk
(Java, Indonesia)

Rice that has been cooked in coconut milk and seasoned with aromatics is a velvety-rich, alluring dish. It turns up in countless incarnations all over the Malay Archipelago. This is the Javanese version, which is flavored with lemongrass and daun salam leaves, the woodsy-tasting Indonesian herb. The aromatics are submerged in the rice as it cooks, infusing the cooking liquid -- and, in turn, the rice -- with their essences. The hint of lemongrass is appealing, while the topping of crisply fried shallots adds smoky succulence. Friends for whom I have cooked this rice tell me it's the best rice they've ever eaten. It pairs well with just about anything that plain rice is served with, including curries and stir-fries, though it's also wonderful on its own, perhaps with a Malaysian pickle or a salad of baby lettuces. I prefer to eat nasi uduk warm rather than hot, as its flavors are even more delicious.

Don't try to halve this recipe -- that would result in the aromatics sitting on top of the rice, rather than being submerged in it, yielding a poorly flavored dish. It's also not a good idea to make this dish in a rice cooker, as the fats and proteins in the coconut milk and the cooker's high, continuous heat can easily lead to the bottom layer of rice sticking and burning.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 cups (14 ounces/400 grams) jasmine rice
3 thick stalks fresh lemongrass, tied into a knot
1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces/375 milliliters) water
1 cup (8 fluid ounces/250 milliliters) unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
10 whole daun salam leaves
2 tablespoons Crisp-Fried Shallots

1. Place the rice in a 1 1/2- or 2-quart (1.5- or 2-liter) saucepan. Fill the pot halfway with cold water. If any rice hulls or small twigs float to the surface, scoop them aside with your hand and discard them. Gently swirl your fingers through the rice until the water becomes cloudy from the surface starch on the rice grains, about 20 seconds. Be careful not to massage the rice aggressively. You don't want to crack or break the grains. Allow the rice to settle for a few seconds. Tilt the pot over a sink and drain out all the water, cupping the rice with your hand to prevent it from spilling out of the pot. Repeat this process with 3 more changes of water. The water after the first 2 rinses will be quite cloudy; by the fourth rinse, it will be much less so. The water need not run completely clear by the final rinse. Slightly cloudy water is fine. Leave the rinsed rice in the pot.
2. Add the lemongrass, cooking water, coconut milk, salt, and daun salam leaves (if using) to the rinsed rice. Stir well to combine, making sure that the lemongrass stalks and daun salam leaves are as fully submerged in the rice as possible.
3. Place the pot over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil, stirring with a large spoon to prevent the rice at the bottom of the pot from scorching or burning. Don't worry if the liquid thickens considerably as it comes to a boil, a result, in part, of the fats in the coconut milk combining with the starch in the rice. Also don't worry if the lemongrass knots become unraveled from the stirring. The finished rice will still be fine. Allow the rice to boil for 15 seconds, continuing to stir to prevent the rice at the bottom of the pot from scorching or burning. Immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cover the pot tightly with the lid. Continue cooking for 15 minutes. Don't be tempted to lift or remove the lid during this time. You'll lose essential cooking steam if you do.
4. Meanwhile, if you'll be using the fried shallots, make them now and set aside.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the rice to continue to steam, covered, away from the heat for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Open the pot and discard the lemongrass and daun salam leaves (if used). Gently fold the rice over with a spoon, evenly distributing the aromatic flavors that may be concentrated in pockets in the rice. Transfer the rice to a deep serving bowl and fluff it well with a fork, lifting it into a peaked mound. Top with fried shallots (if using). Serve hot or warm. (If serving the rice warm, keep it covered with aluminum foil until then.)

Variation: Ginger-Scented Coconut Rice (Nasi Lemak)
To make this gingery Malaysian and Singaporean version of Lemongrass-Scented Coconut Rice, known as nasi lemak (fatty rice), substitute a piece of ginger 2 inches (5 centimeters) long, peeled and bruised until juicy with a heavy, blunt object, for the daun salam leaves. Nasi lemak is traditionally served as a breakfast dish with a halved hard-cooked egg, a wedge of cucumber, a tablespoon or so of fried peanuts, and small portions of a sambal and a pickle, such as Javanese Sambal (page 119) and Sweet-Sour Cucumber and Carrot Pickle with Turmeric (page 130). Do not garnish nasi lemak with fried shallots.

Menu suggestions:
This lush and aromatic dish goes well with nearly every dish I can think of, though it has a particular affinity for Tofu and Summer Vegetables in Coconut Milk and all egg dishes. For a traditional Jakarta-style nasi uduk meal, serve it with Mien's Garlic Fried Chicken, Garlic-Marinated Tempeh, Javanese Sambal, and lalap, a side dish composed of a few peeled and halved Kirby cucumbers, a few halved Roma tomatoes, and a few sprigs of fresh lemon basil, Thai basil, or Italian basil, all of which guests can nibble between bites of rice.

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Stir-fried Bean Sprouts With Chinese Chives
Tauge Goreng
(Java, Indonesia)

This lively stir-fry of mung bean sprouts with black pepper, garlic, shallots, chiles, and Chinese chives is a specialty of Bogor, in West Java, Indonesia. I learned a valuable lesson the afternoon that I watched Nanik, the wife of my friend Hasan, make it. Not only do bean sprouts cook rapidly, Nanik told me, but they also shed their internal water like tears and continue doing so until they cool down. "Cook them only until they just begin to wilt. Any longer will result in a sad dish," she said, transferring a wok's worth of still-crunchy sprouts to a serving plate. Buy the cleanest-smelling, most porcelain white mung bean sprouts you can find. Make sure that they're 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 centimeters) long, with small, bright yellow seedpods. Don't mistakenly purchase soybean sprouts, which have larger seedpods and thicker shoots. For the best result, cook the bean sprouts the same day you buy them. Some Javanese cooks replace the Chinese chives with a handful of fresh lemon basil leaves (page 74), which imparts an appealing fruity taste. If you're using scallions instead of Chinese chives and they're very thick, slice them in half lengthwise. As with every stir-fry, have all the ingredients prepped and within easy reach before you begin cooking.

Makes 3 or 4 servings

2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 shallot (about 3/4 ounce/20 grams), very thinly sliced lengthwise
1 clove garlic, very thinly sliced lengthwise
1 fresh red Holland chile or other fresh long, red chile such as Fresno or cayenne, stemmed and very thinly sliced on the diagonal (optional, but the chile adds beautiful color and a touch of fire)
1 pound (455 grams) mung bean sprouts
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 Chinese chives (page 55) or 3 scallions (both white and green parts), tops and roots removed and cut into 2-inch (5-centimeter) lengths
Scant 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground fine black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Heat the oil in a wok or 12-inch (30-centimeter) skillet over medium heat. When it's hot-it should appear slightly shimmery-add the shallot, garlic, and chile and stir-fry vigorously until the shallot and garlic begin to soften and turn translucent, about 1 minute. Don't allow the shallot and garlic to become golden or golden brown. If you notice that they start to change color, temporarily remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for a few moments.
2. Add the bean sprouts and soy sauce and increase the heat to medium-high to high. Stir-fry vigorously until all of the sprouts take in an even amount of heat, about 1 minute. Add the chives, pepper, and salt and continue to stir-fry until the chives wilt and the bean sprouts are just barely cooked through but still crisp, 1 to 2 minutes longer. The sprouts will continue to cook on their own for a few minutes after you remove them from the fire. Taste a sprout for salt, and add a pinch more if needed.
3. Transfer to a large serving dish and eat at once. The bean sprouts will become limp and watery if allowed to sit longer than 10 minutes.

Menu suggestions:
I'm content to eat this dish with nothing more than steaming rice and a just-fried egg -- the combination of the crispness of the bean sprouts and the spare luxuriousness of the warm egg is deeply satisfying. But it's also wonderful paired with Lemongrass-Scented Coconut Rice, Spiced Braised Nyonya Pork, and a coconut milk-based curry, such as Asiah's Eggplant Curry.

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