Thai Coconut Cashew Rice

New Year's Day 2033, and the sun came out for the first time in what felt like a week — that particular January sun that is bright but has no warmth yet, the sun of a world still deciding whether spring is worth attempting. I made black-eyed peas again, as I always do, but this year I also made a proper feast around them: collard greens braised low and slow with a smoked turkey leg, cornbread baked in the cast iron, and a big pot of rice. Georgia New Year in a Utah kitchen. My grandmother would have approved, I think, though she might have raised an eyebrow at the collard greens, which I made maybe a shade more complex than strictly necessary.

Gary and I had a New Year's tradition for about fifteen years where we would each write down one thing they were letting go of and one thing they were calling in, and we'd read them aloud and then burn the papers in the fireplace. We've been in this house a year now and it has a fireplace, a real one with a proper mantle, and last night we reinstated the tradition. The fireplace changes it — there's something ceremonial about fire that the old fondue pot we used to burn the papers in never quite achieved.

What I'm letting go: the habit of apologizing for the size of my ambitions. I've been doing this for years, underselling the book ideas, making them smaller in the pitch than they are in my head because I'm not sure they'll be wanted. The fifth book is going to be big. I'm going to let it be big.

What I'm calling in: more time in the garden. More evenings where the camera is off and the food is just food and the table is just a table and the people around it are just people I love.

The peas were good. The greens were excellent. The cornbread was, objectively, perfect — Gary said so and he is a reliable judge. We went to bed early and woke to the new year already well underway, which is exactly the right way to enter it. Not with a ceremony. With soup.

The big pot of rice I made alongside the black-eyed peas and greens was the quiet anchor of the whole meal — nothing dramatic, just fragrant and warm and exactly right. This Thai Coconut Cashew Rice is the version I’ve been returning to ever since: it has that same unhurried, purposeful quality, the kind of dish that rewards you for paying attention. It felt fitting to share it here, in the spirit of calling in more evenings where the food is just food and the table is just a table.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon coconut oil or neutral oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
3/4 cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt to taste

Instructions

Toast the aromatics. Heat coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
Add rice and liquids. Stir in the rinsed jasmine rice and coat it in the aromatics for 1 minute. Pour in the coconut milk and water, then add soy sauce and red pepper flakes if using. Stir to combine.
Simmer low and slow. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and cook for 18 to 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Do not lift the lid during cooking.
Rest the rice. Remove from heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 5 minutes. This allows the steam to finish cooking the grains and prevents sticking.
Finish and fluff. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Drizzle with sesame oil and lime juice, then stir gently to distribute. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Add toppings and serve. Fold in most of the cashews and green onions, reserving some for garnish. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with remaining cashews, green onions, and fresh cilantro. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Thai Coconut Cashew Rice — The Pot That Carries You Into the New Year