Baked Curried Rice with Apples and Coconut

This Bittman recipe was a win.  I'm glad he's come out with some recipes that aren't so minimal because I like to throw a bunch of stuff together in one dish. The coconut/green apple mix was darn good.

For my Greenpoint-ing friends - the Garden has unsweetened coconut and brown basmati rice for cheap in their bulk section. 

One note: I doubled the measurements to make a lot of rice for weeknight dinners.  It gets really dry in the fridge, so the dish doesn't work too well for leftovers.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 cup brown basmati rice
Salt and black pepper
One 14-ounce can coconut milk
1⁄4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
2 tart apples, cored and chopped
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat, then add the curry powder and ginger and stir until mixed well. Add the rice, some salt and pepper, and stir for about 2 minutes.

2. Stir 1 3/4 cup coconut milk into the rice. Bring to a boil, then transfer until an oven safe casserole dish. Cover tightly with a lid or with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, toast coconut in a skillet, stirring often, until it begins to brown.

4. Remove the rice from the oven and stir in apples, coconut, and cilantro. Add salt/pepper to taste and let flavors sit together for about 10 minutes before serving.


Baked: