Festive Yellow Rice

We were watching this program about the food prepared for an Indonesian wedding, and one of the dishes was a symbol of the successful union, fragrant yellow rice. My beautiful Bride found this recipe in the Asian cookbook we have, though for some reason, it was labeled a Thai dish (and the opposite page, which had a recipe that looked Thai, was labeled Indonesian). Thai or Indonesian, it still made a tasty and bright dish. Make it at least Thai, by using Thai Jasmine rice, the best. We don't know why it has the cover for 15 minutes step, really, it tasted good without doing so. Perhaps it makes the rice a little softer. This can accompany any dish, to make your meal a successful union of flavour and colour.

Festive Yellow Rice
from Thai & South-East Asian Cooking & Far Eastern Classics
450 g/2-2/3 cups Jasmine rice
4 Tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 onions, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
3 cups water
400 mL/14 fl. oz can coconut milk
1-2 lemon grass stalks, bruised
To accompany:
omelette strips
2 fresh red chilies, seeded and shredded
cucumber chunks
tomato wedges
deep-fried onions
prawn crackers

Rinse the Jasmine rice thoroughly under cold water in a strainer, then drain well.

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan on low heat. Cook the garlic, onions and turmeric for 2-3 minutes, until the onions are soft. Add the rice and stir well to coat in oil.

Either cook in a rice cooker, or continue in the frying pan. Pour in the water and coconut milk and add the lemon grass stalks. If using the frying pan, bring to a boil, stirring, then cover and cook gently for 12 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.

Uncover the pan or rice cooker bowl, then cover with a clean dish towel, replace the lid and stand in a warm place for 15 minutes.

Remove the lemon grass stalks. Mound the rice in a cone on a serving platter and garnish with the desired accompaniments.