When one talks of a special meal, the most usual attitude is to think in terms of a special main dish. I’m not exempt from that mentality. I often get so wrapped up with preparing the most delectable main dish, using very special ingredients, that I forget one obvious thing. Although a special main dish can make a meal outstanding, it is equally true that a special meal can mean a totality. How? I can think of two ways.
First, take a very plain ingredient and dress it up with something unusual. For example, hard boiled eggs. Who would consider plain hard boiled eggs remarkable? But wrap them in meat loaf or fry them to create an impressive texture, smother with a sweet-spicy-salty sauce and garnish crisp onion slices and voila!
Second, a simple main course becomes anything other than boring when paired with something unusual. Think outlandish. Like serving lechon kawali with rice cooked with yogurt. The combination was so darn good that we ran out of rice before all of the lechon kawali could be consumed.
Don’t be alarmed. There are no complex procedures for cooking the rice. And you don’t need special equipment either. Just cook your rice as you normally would, in a rice cooker or on the stovetop, but instead of adding water, use meat broth, add yogurt, spices and a few pandan leaves. The aroma is heady and the multitude of flavors that blend together will make you eat more rice than you usually do.
Recipe: Spicy pandan-yogurt rice with crisp roast pork belly
Ingredients
- 2 c. of long-grain rice
- 3 c. of broth, preferable homemade
- 1 c. of plain yogurt
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp. of fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp. of ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. of pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. of ground turmeric
- a pinch of ground cinnamon
- 2 to 3 pandan leaves
- cooked lechon kawali (click here, here and here) for four persons
- finely sliced onion leaves
- crisp fried onion slices
- toasted garlic bits
Instructions
- Rinse the rice as you normally would. Drain. Put in the rice cooker. Pour in the broth. Add the yogurt, salt, black pepper, fennel seeds, cumin, pepper flakes, turmeric and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Twist the pandan leaves to form a knot. Add to the rice. Cook.
- When the rice is almost ready, prepare the lechon kawali by chopping the meat into bite-size pieces.
- Then, assemble the dish.
- When the rice is
onedone, rake with a fork to fluff. - Scoop the rice into individual bowls. Top with lechon kawali. Garnish with onion leaves, crisp onion slices and toasted garlic bits.
- Dig in and have a wonderful meal.
Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 20 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
would love to try this NOW! so please excuse me, i have to run to the store to buy that yogurt.
eerrr.. ms.connie, did you count the rice? “When the rice is one, rake with a fork to fluff.” i am hoping that it’s more than one, impossible to count actually. hehe
When the rice is “done”… Let me correct that.
Oh, I saw that, too yayi! And we both know that instead of “one” that word should have been “done”
hehe, maybe Connie was rushing to savor this wonderful meal!
I know what I’m cooking for dinner tomorrow night!
That sure looks sooooo delicious!
Your family is really lucky!
Can you please adopt me even just for a day? Hahahaha
Crisma, you read my mind hehehe
Mik, hope you like it. We sure did.
Mae, there’s a queue for adoption hahaha
Finally had this tonight. Winner! Even my 18 month old loved it
Had it with crispy fried fish and I added chopped green bell pepper to the rice. Was doubly happy kasi my daughter (who has been allergic to dairy since birth) did not have a bad reaction to the yogurt in the rice so she might finally be starting to get over her allergies 
That is great! Love it when young children are adventurous with food.
wowwww! another winner meal from you Miss connie!
Looks good. I’m on diet mode and have been eating brown rice. Maybe this will help with the flavor without canceling out the diet part.
Will definitely try this for my son Papillion…..Ms. Connie, can you add me to the queue… for adoption, I would also settle for even half a day…hehehe…
hahahaha Sign on, sign on.
I love how you prepared the rice! The medley of spices… delish! The use of rice cooker… convenient!
You had me at yogurt!
May i add, i would like to pair this with grilled eggplant, sliced tomatoes and onions… Like in mediterranean eateries.
You got me at grilled eggplant LOL!