HOW TO COOK COCONUT RICE with, Peppered Beef and Dodo (fried plantain) by Roseline Kachi

* Peppered Beef with Coconut rice.

Hello Benson, I saw the `HOW TO..' Section on the Woolwich Arsenal Online and thought this was a good addition to the site. I want to say more powers to your elbow. And thanks for the chance to contribute in other ways than `news'.

Cooking is my passion and below, I am going to show how to cook Coconut Rice with accessories like beef, potato and fried plantain (we call it `Dodo'). I cooked coconut rice for my friends on my daughter's birthday and they loved it.

But first, let me say that I recommend that people start with preparing the beef. And that to cook this meal, like most others, people can also be creative. For example, they don't have to use peppered beef only, they can also use peppered mince-meet, or Fried Chicken if they choose.

Ok .. here we go --->

Peppered Beef Ingredients:

1 or 2kg of Beef, 10 scotch bonnet peppers (you can also use ground (non-mixed) pepper), 4 garlic cloves, 2 bulbs of red onion (African Onion), 2 Maggi Cubes, 1 cooking spoon of vegetable oil or 1/2 cooking spoon of red palm oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 Spoonfull of Seasoning: curry, thyme or a mix of the two or more.

Quick Method

Wash beef and chop into desired piece sizez, place in cooking pot and and heat up on the cooker, do not add water at this point but allow the water from washing to dry up, when it has it done so, pour in one spoon full of vegetable oil, wait 5 minutes and add sliced or blended onion, add sliced or blended garlic, sliced or blended peppers and one teaspoon of salt.

Add one spoonfull of your choice of seasong. Cover the pot and allow meet to steam for five minutes. Stir the pot content to ensure that all mix well. Leave on cooker or stove for about 25-30 minutes for it to soften. Then stir-dry.

As the mixture blends well when you stir, taste it to make sure you have the desired taste in terms quantity of salt and pepper - always good to be sure before you serve it.

Coconut Rice Ingredients:

3 cups of Rice, 1 can of coconut milk or extract the milk yourself by cracking open 2 coconuts, blend and squeeze out their milk using a net fabric, 2 tablespoon of ground crayfish (optional), 1 bulb of a small onion, 1/2 teaspoons of salt (remember that the beef already has salt), 1 Maggi cube, 1 tablespoon of dry pepper, 1 tablespoon of curry powder, a pinch of thyme, 2 cups of water.

Cooking Method

Perboil the rice for five minutes with two cups of water. Ensure that the pot is covered so that it steams quicker. Filter out the water from the rice and place pot on cooker for two minutes so that the water is completely dry from rice. Pour in cocunut milk and use it to cook rice. This way, the rice drains it and the cocunut flavour comes out better. You can add Mixed Veggetables if you desire, also you can add shrimps or prowns and raisins. Mix your ingredients. It's all about creativity but remember that you have already addead ground crayfish. Crayfish usually give strong flavour.
Leave for 5 minutes and check that the rice has cooked ok.

Frying your Dodo (Plantain)

Requirements

2 or 3 pieces of ripe Plantain, 1/2 table spoonfull of Salt (to be sprinkled on the sliced bits before dropping them into the frying pan), 1 bottle of Sunflower Oil (recommended), Non-stick frying pan.


Method of Frying

Slice your plantain ready, sprinkle salt on them and shake bowl to mix, place your clean frying pan and ensure that no water is left in it, pour in half a bottle of sunflower oil and allow to heat up, then start dropping the sliced pieces and turn accordingly. To achieve golden colour, ensure you do not leave it too late on the pan.

Your meals are ready to serve. Dish desirable quantity of rice onto your place and a desirable quantity of the peppered bee beside it.

Well, guten appetit and let me know how you managed..

Expecting your feedback.

Roseline, Welling.