The ideal way of cooking this rice and seafood dish is to cook the seafood in coconut cream then toss in the cooked rice. But since I am allergic to crustaceans, I had to cook the seafood separately so that none of the juices of the shrimps would be absorbed by the rice. It did entail a few extra steps but that was preferable over cooking a separate dish for myself.
“Mixed seafood” can be shrimps, squids, fish fillets, mussels, clams or whatever combination you like. The only ones available on the day I decided to cook this dish were shrimps and fish. Had squids been available, I would have added some too since my kids like them so much.
The rice is yellow because I added turmeric powder to it. Turmeric is NOT curry powder. Rather, it is one of the five spices that comprise curry powder. You can buy it in jars or pouches in most supermarkets.
The rice was pre-cooked but less water than usual was used. Just enough to cook the rice without turning it mushy. The texture should be such that if you rake a fork through the rice, the grains will separate. How much water depends on what variety of rice you’re using. I suggest long-grain rice or some other variety that doesn’t contain too much starch.
Ingredients :
4-5 c. of cooked rice
500 g. of fish fillets (any firm, white, fleshy fish)
250 g. of shrimps (shelled weight)
1 head of garlic
2 onions, sliced thinly
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 c. of coconut cream
1 tbsp. of turmeric
4 tbsps. of vegetable cooking oil
2 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
2 tbsps. of finely chopped onion leaves
salt and pepper
Cooking procedure :
Cut the fish fillets into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
Season the shrimps with salt and pepper.
Steam the fish and shrimps until done. I suggest placing them in separate steamer compartments because the shrimps will cook much faster than the fish. You will need to remove the shrimps from the steamer as soon as they are cooked.
Heat the cooking oil in a wide shallow cooking pan (a wok is ideal). Saute the garlic until fragrant. Add the onions and tomatoes. Cook for about 30 seconds. Add the turmeric and mix well. Pour in the coconut cream. Add salt and pepper and stir well. Add the rice. Toss to distribute the spices and seasonings evenly. Taste the rice, add more salt and pepper if necessary. Cook, stirring, until the rice is heated through.
When the rice is done, add the cooked fish fillets and shrimps and toss lightly to distribute. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the chopped eggs and onion leaves.
That sounds absolutely divine, Connie! I’m not really a big rice person (which is pretty weird because I’m Filipino) but I’m partial to flavoured/coloured rice. I’m a huge fan of Moros y Cristianos (Rice and beans normally served as a side dish in Latin American countries), Arroz con Pollo, Paella Negra and Indian rice. I would definitely try cooking this over the weekend.
Hi Marie.
Plain white rice often bore me too and that’s why I try to experiment with one dish meals that include flavored rice.
Hello, I tagged you to post 8 random facts about yourself. Please visit: http://www.lamesatkusina.blogspot.com/ for details.
cheers,
Unice
Hi,Miss. Connie! I just discover your site and I really really really like it. I just got married and I’m learning to cook. Your site is very helpful to me. I almost read all your recipes and I read that you published a cookbook. 2006 pa ang nakalagay na date.. Where can I buy the cookbook? I’m leaving here in Cebu. I want a copy of all your recipes kasi masasarap and its easy to cook.. Thank you very much for this site.. Godbless you always..
Aha! Title palang ginanahan nanaman ako! Thanks for this one, ha! Will try this weekend!!! We’re addicted to anything with gata. Which brand of coconut milk do you use? We always stock on Chaokoh from the Pinoy Store (although product of Thailand). I once saw the chefs use the same brand in one of the Iron Chef episodes.
can’t find coconut cream…I see coconut milk in oriental stores but not cream ;o(
marie, here’s an update.
annmariemarie, i try to get fresh coconut milk/cream whenever possible; otherwise, I use the Coconut King brand.
Len, pwede na rin yun.
Hello Ms. Connie! Been trying to cook since my hubby and i moved here in canada but i find it so not-my-forte bcoz i never tried cooking back home. Anyways, just too happy to find ur site…it’s a big help for me!:)
Btw, with this recipe, if i opt to add mussels en squids rings, do i also need to steam them like the shrimps en fish?.
Tenks much <3
That’s the safest way to avoid overcooking anything.
Thank you for d reply! This means a lot… I cooked the embutido last night and it was reallyyyyyyyy good:). Now ill try this recipe and the pata tim (hopefully!)