Rice with Fried Garlic & Shallot

This simple side dish of rice with fried garlic & shallot is a vegetarian take on the rice served with classic Hainanese chicken rice. The fried shallot and garlic add plenty of flavour without using stock; just remember to salt it well. It’s delicious with trout that’s steeped in the same way chicken can be, but also as a side dish with any seafood, poultry or simple vegetables like sambal kang kong (see video below). If I’m serving it as a side, I take inspiration from the classic Malaysian dish nasi ulam, which is topped with fresh herbs – I like Thai basil and coriander, but use any herbs you have on hand including mint, Vietnamese mint or perilla. Leftover rice keeps for up to a week in the fridge and reheats well.

Serves 2 as a side dish

Ingredients

¼ cup vegetable oil
2 red shallots, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
300g jasmine rice
1 teaspoon salt flakes, crushed
560ml water
Handful Asian herbs, for garnishing (optional)

Method

Place oil in a saucepan over medium–high heat.
Add shallot and fry for about 5 minutes, until starting to colour, stirring regularly so steam can escape.
Add garlic and ginger and cook for a further minute or so until shallot is dark golden.
Add rice and salt and stir for a minute or so to coat well in the oil.
Add water and bring to the boil.
Stir, reduce heat to as low as possible, cover and simmer for 10–12 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed.
Remove from heat, place a clean, dry tea towel under the lid and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with herbs if you like.