Coconut Lemongrass Tapioca With Caramelized Citrus Recipes

COCONUT TAPIOCA (VEGAN)

Steps:

• Place tapioca and coconut milk in a medium saucepan and let soak for 30 minutes.
• Add sugar and salt to the tapioca mixture, and heat over medium heat until it reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to low and let simmer very gently for 15 minutes until tapioca pearls are transparent and the mixture has thickened. Be sure to stir frequently so that the tapioca doesn't stick to the bottom. Once done, remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Pour into cups and place in the refrigerator until completely chilled, at least 3 hours. The pudding will thicken after refrigeration.
• Serve with sliced fresh fruit/fruit puree and coconut chips if desired.
• Tapioca is best the same day it's made, but will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.

LEMONGRASS-SCENTED COCONUT RICE

Steps:

• 1. Place the rice in a 1-1/2- or 2-quart 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 with the rice's surface starch, 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 three 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 is fine. Leave the rinsed rice in the pot.
• 2. To the rinsed rice, add the tied lemongrass, the cooking water, the coconut milk, the salt, and the daun salam leaves (if using). Stir well to combine, making sure that the lemongrass stalks and daun salam leaves are submerged in as much of the rice as possible.
• 3. Place the pot over high heat and, stirring constantly with a large spoon to prevent the rice at the bottom of the pot from scorching or burning, bring the liquid to a rolling, noisy boil. Allow the rice to boil vigorously for fifteen seconds, continuing to stir constantly. (It's essential that you stir constantly, otherwise the fats and proteins in the coconut milk will cause the rice at the bottom of the pot to become gummy and stick together, which will ultimately lead to the final dish having a scorched or burned bottom layer.) 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. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the rice to continue to steam, covered, away from the heat for an additional 10 minutes.
• 5. Open the pot and discard the lemongrass and daun salam leaves. Fold the rice over gently with a spoon, distributing the aromatic flavors which may be concentrated in pockets in the rice. Transfer the rice to a deep serving bowl, fluffing it gently with a fork and lifting it into a high, peaked mound. Serve hot or warm. (If serving the rice warm, keep it covered with aluminum foil until then.)

COCONUT-LEMONGRASS TAPIOCA WITH CARAMELIZED CITRUS

Steps:

• In a small pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add the tapioca pearls and simmer gently over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the tapioca is softened and almost all the way translucent, 12 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and allow the tapioca to steam and cook through completely, 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover it and refrigerate until ready to serve. You can prepare the tapioca up to 3 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
• Wash out the pot and pour in the coconut milk. Add the lemongrass, the ginger and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Bring up to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and zest the lime into the milk. Allow the infused milk to steep while you prepare the fruit and the caramel.
• Remove the tops and bottoms of the citrus by cutting the ends with a sharp knife so each fruit sits flat on your work surface. Cut the citrus peels off into strips, running your knife down the length of the fruit and carefully removing the white pith as you slice. Cut each fruit crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds and remove any visible seeds.
• Make a caramel: Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium. Add the sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar melts and forms a light golden syrup, 5 to 7 minutes. Cook the syrup until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more, lowering the heat slightly if necessary to avoid scorching. Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons maple syrup, squeeze in the juice of the lime and add remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Remove from heat and carefully add the fruit, a couple of pieces at a time, swirling the pan to coat the pieces in syrup. The hot syrup may bubble and splatter, so be careful here. If the caramel forms hard clumps around the citrus slices, return the skillet to heat over medium-low and continue to cook, swirling the caramel around the citrus pieces, until any hard clumps dissolve, 2 minutes.
• Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the coconut milk into a medium bowl, pressing down on the aromatics in the sieve before discarding.
• To serve, scoop a few spoonfuls of the tapioca into shallow bowls. Ladle the infused coconut milk over the top, add several slices of citrus and spoon in some of the caramel glaze. Drizzle with some maple syrup and garnish with the crushed pistachio, if using.