AI-generated image
Arroz clavado
Coconut rice with cheese
Arroz clavado: Chocó coconut rice studded with chunks of cheese until sticky and rich
From Quibdó and the river towns of the Chocó comes a rice dish built on coconut, where cubes of white cheese are pushed into the pot near the end and left to melt into sticky, golden pockets; clavado means nailed in. The coconut milk, ideally pressed from freshly grated coconut, gives the rice a creamy, gently sweet base, and the Pacific herbs of the azotea, the raised kitchen garden, add a sharp green note. It is a weekday lunch at home, eaten with fried plantain, avocado or alongside fried fish for those who eat it. White cheese in Colombia is usually set with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) halloumi or mozzarella-style cheese if needed. Stirring after the cheese goes in is the slip that turns it to mush, so poke the cheese into the rice and then leave the lid on. Chef's tip: culantro (long-leaf coriander) from Asian or Caribbean shops is close to the Chocó herbs; use ordinary coriander stems if not.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 white onionsmall, finely chopped
- 2 spring onionsfinely chopped
- 2 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 tbsp culantro or coriander stemsfinely chopped
- 10 ½ oz long-grain white ricerinsed until the water runs clear
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 7 oz halloumi or mozzarella-style white cheesecut into 2 cm cubes; traditionally made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) cheese
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat. Fry 1 white onion and 2 spring onions for 4 minutes, until soft and translucent.
4 minStep 2: Add 2 garlic cloves and 2 tbsp culantro or coriander stems and fry for 1 minute, until fragrant.
1 minStep 3: Stir in 10 ½ oz long-grain white rice and toast for 2 minutes, until the grains turn opaque at the tips.
2 minStep 4: Pour in 1 ¾ cups coconut milk and 1 cup water, add 1 tsp salt and bring to the boil, stirring once so nothing sticks.
Step 5: Cook uncovered over a medium heat for 8 minutes, until the liquid has dropped below the surface of the rice and little craters appear.
8 minStep 6: Push the 7 oz halloumi or mozzarella-style white cheese cubes into the rice, spacing them out. Cover tightly, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 12–15 minutes, until the rice is tender and the cheese has melted into sticky pockets.
14 minStep 7: Rest off the heat, covered, for 5 minutes, then scoop out in big spoonfuls without stirring.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 590 kcal
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arroz clavado take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Indian
Khao kluk kapiShrimp paste rice
Everything on this central Thai plate is arranged in little heaps around a mound of rice tossed with garlic and fermented shrimp paste: sticky caramelised pork (moo wan), threads of sour green mango, shallots, chillies, sliced long beans, crisp dried shrimp and ribbons of thin omelette. You mix a bit of each into every spoonful, so salty, sweet, sour and hot arrive together. It's a favourite at Bangkok's curry-and-rice shops and a clever way to use up yesterday's rice at home; lime wedges and cucumber cool it down. Chef's tip: use day-old jasmine rice straight from the fridge, because freshly cooked rice clumps and smears the shrimp paste instead of coating each grain.
Thai
Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani
Hyderabad's biryani grew up in the kitchens of the Nizams, and the kacchi style is its proudest form: the chicken goes into the pot raw, in a thick yogurt, mint and fried-onion marinade, and cooks only in the steam trapped under part-cooked basmati. In the old city it is wedding and Eid food, ordered in huge copper deghs, and at home it's the Sunday showpiece, served with mirchi ka salan and a cooling raita. Because the meat cooks without being stirred, small bone-in thigh and drumstick pieces work best. Chef's tip: marinate overnight in the fridge — the yogurt tenderises the chicken and the flavours go right to the bone.