Festive Yellow Rice - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 kg long grain rice
4 tablespoons oil
2 large onions, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 cups coconut milk
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
6 curry leaves
banana leaves or bamboo leaves, for serving
Garhish
marbled egg (recipe 24091)
2 green cucumbers, sliced
3 fresh red chilies
3 fresh green chilies

Preparation

If rice needs washing, wash well beforehand and allow to drain at least 1 hour.
Heat oil in a large sauce pan with a well-fitting lid. Fry onions and garlic until onions are soft and golden, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
Add rice and fry for a minute or two, then add coconut milk, salt, turmeric and elave for flavouring.
Bring to the boil, stirring with a long spoon. As soon as liquid comes to the boil, turn heat very low, cover tightly with lid and allow to steam for 20 minutes.
Uncover, quickly stir in with a fork any coconut mild that remains unabsorbed around edge of pan, replace lid and leave on same low heat for a further 3 minutes.
Turn off heat, uncover and allow steam to escape and rice to cool slightly. Remove leaves used for flavouring and gently fork rice onto a large platter or a tray lined with well washed banana or bamboo leaves. Shape into a cone, pressing firmly. Use pieces of greased banana leaf or foil to do this. Sarround with marbled eggs, halved, sliced green cucumber and fresh chilies for decoration.