Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Black Sticky Rice

 

Today I'm sharing a spin on the classic Southeast Asian dessert of fresh mango with coconut sticky rice. I discovered mango coconut sticky rice at a local Thai restaurant my freshman year of college and have never looked back. That creamy, coconutty dessert with the perfect chew and fresh mangos! Mangos--the fruit I have always craved.

Why the spin? If it's not broken, don't fix it...they say. True, but let's not give up on creativity. Reinvention does not replace in my book. Let me explain. One of my newest girlfriends is from Korea. At our last girl's night out we got talking about foods from her homeland. She reminisced about black rice. I had never heard of such a rice. 

She raved about the beauty of its purple-black color, nutty flavor, explained her favorite recipe applications and touted the power of its antioxidants. I had to get my hands on such a find. Special ingredients are like a drug to me. So unknown, unexplored. My curiosity was fixed shortly when I happened upon forbidden rice at Whole Foods. So I stocked up and said a prayer of thanks that I didn't have to order it online.

You'd think I would have started by making a simple side. But I didn't. I found this recipe for Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Black Sticky Rice from Eating Well. Surely this healthier take on my favorite Thai dessert would be fun to try--it was perfect for summertime. And it was different enough that I wouldn't be tempted to compare it to my favorite recipe of the original.
 
Here's how the dish is reinterpreted. Black rice (Forbidden rice) is used instead of white sticky or Jasmine rice and cooked to an al dente chew. Then coconut milk is perfectly infused with ground cardamom. Part of it is set aside for a topping and the rest is used to be absorbed by the rice in it's final step of cooking. The cardamom infusion is optimal and really turns this dish into something special Fresh mangos are replaced with grilled pineapple. More sweetness is brought to the nutty black rice from the caramelization of the grilled pinapple.

Overall this dish is more complex than its inspiration. Note: I did not say better. It's a new take, a fun try...a chance to exposure yourself to new ingredients and flavor. It's not cloyingly sweet and leaves you feeling perfectly satiated inside. Give black rice and this Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Black Sticky Rice recipa a try this week.

 

Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Black Sticky Rice
from Eating Well

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup black sticky rice

1 14-ounce can lite coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

3 tablespoons finely chopped palm sugar (see Note) or packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 small ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Directions:

1. Combine water and rice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the rice has absorbed all the water, about 20 minutes. The rice should be cooked yet still somewhat firm.
2. Bring the coconut milk to a boil in another medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, add cardamom, sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Set aside 3/4 cup of the seasoned coconut milk. Add the rice to the pan with the remaining seasoned coconut milk, return to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the rice softens and absorbs almost all the liquid, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, preheat grill to high. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the pineapple slices until slightly charred and softened, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board; let stand until cool enough to handle. Chop the pineapple.
4. Serve rice and pineapple with the reserved coconut milk drizzled on top. Serve hot or at room temperature. Variation: White sticky rice can be substituted for the black sticky rice, but the cooking time in Step 1 will be 12 to 15 minutes and, in Step 2, 10 to 15 minutes. Check the rice while it's cooking to prevent scorching.

Serving Info:
6 servings, generous 1/3 cup rice & 1/2 cup pineapple each 

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes 

Nutrition Per Serving: 231 calories; 6 g fat ( 3 g sat , 0 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 3 g fiber; 213 mg sodium; 118 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (60% daily value). 

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