SUNSET JULY/AUGUST 2019 61 --Grilled Coconut Sticky Rice
SERVES 4–6 / 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES
Banana leaves make convenient packages for transporting single-
serving sizes of rice, and when they are reheated on the grill or in
a pan they smoke and steam the rice, perfuming it with an earthy,
floral scent. The rice is perfect for soaking up the juices of the rib-
eye steak (recipe, page 63, and the addition of purple sticky rice
stains the final dish a deep violet hue.2 cups white sweet rice, such as
Koda Farms sweet rice
1 cup purple sticky rice
½ cup coconut milk
12 fresh or frozen banana
leaves- In a large bowl, combine
white and purple rice, cover
with water by 2 inches, and
mix until water turns milky.
Pour water out of bowl, add
fresh water, mix and drain
again. Repeat once more and
drain rice in a colander.
Transfer drained rice to a
medium pot, add 2 cups wa-
ter and the coconut milk and
bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to low, cover,
and simmer for 25 to 30 min-
utes, or until liquid is
absorbed. Remove from heat,
uncover, and set aside.- Cut banana leaves into
twelve 10- by 12-in. rectan-
gles. Use a double layer of
leaves to make six total pack-
ages. Place 1 cup of cooked
rice in the center of each
rectangle. Wrap up into
square bundles and tie with
kitchen twine or banana
leaf fiber. - Heat a grill to medium-high
(about 450°) or a heat cast-
iron pan over medium-high
heat. Place packets on grill
or pan and cook for 15 min-
utes, or until banana leaf is
charred and rice is heated
through.
A PARTIAL
PINOY PANTRY
Sour vinegars, spicy chiles, and
aromatic tropical ingredients
punch up this backyard barbe-
cue. Stock up on these Filipino
pantry items and incorporate
them into your outdoor cooking
this summer.
BANANA LEAVES
Grill once with these, and you’ll
forever want to keep a package
in your freezer. Frozen banana
leaves should be sufficiently hy-
drated just after thawing. If using
fresh leaves that are dry, soak in
water until pliable and drain
before using. Find banana leaves
at Asian and Latino markets, as
well as at select Walmart loca-
tions and at Amazon.
SWEET RICE
This short-grained rice requires
less liquid than other varieties to
cook up plump and tender, and
it readily takes on the flavor of
coconut milk. Chef Olalia sources
his sweet rice from Koda Farms,
California’s oldest family-owned
and operated rice farm. ($9/5
lbs.; kodafarms.com)
PURPLE RICE
Olalia combines sweet white rice
with Filipino purple rice to add a
nutty flavor and a violet color tohis grilled coconut sticky rice.
You could also substitute any
other black or purple rice to
achieve similar results. Ethical
Trading Company’s Violet Heir-
loom Rice has the added benefit
of being direct fair-trade certi-
fied. ($8.99/1.5 lbs.; ethical
tradeco.com)LONGGANISA
Longganisa is the Filipino version
of the Spanish sausage longani-
za. The hallmarks of longganisa
are savory pork, a vivid red color
imparted by paprika or annatto,
and a marked sweetness. Olalia
recommends longganisa from
Tita’s Special Pampanga Meat
Products, available at Filipinomarkets such as Seafood City,
which has locations in California,
Hawaii, Nevada, and Washing-
ton. (seafoodcity.com)
CALAMANSI VINEGAR
The Filipino citrus calamansi is
much more sour than a lemon or
lime, with heightened tropical
and floral notes. Olalia goes
through gallons of the fresh juice
at his restaurant but recommends
Lemon Calamansi Vinegar from
the French company Huilerie
Beaujolaise as a good substitute.
($9/250ml.; bienmanger.com)