Just replace the water

How simple can it be, just replace the water. This will not, of course, work for every recipe. I can safely bet that it will eventually lead to at least one irrecoverable disaster, necessitating Chinese take-out or frozen pizza. None the less, here lies the path to deliciousness. I’m sure of it.

Experiment one (actually 1.2) Rice with coconut milk. Following the simple brilliance of this experiment, I made Jasmine rice, replacing all the water with coconut milk. The first time I tried this it turned out well, so on attempt two I decided to pep it up a bit, adding fresh chopped mint when I took it off the heat. Just before serving I tossed the rice with the juice of half a lime. The lime was inspired by the quasi-carribean stuffed and roasted pork loin the rice would accompany. The key to the dish is to not worry about the coconut mil burning a bit on the bottom of the pot. It doesn’t really burn, but it does form a lovely crust, called a tahdeeg (Farsi word for the tasty tasty goodness usually resulting from yogurt being added to the cooking liquid). Break the tahdeeg up and stir it into the rice, adding a nice crunchy bit to each bite. Next time I make this I think I may throw in some dried fruit, like sultanas or papaya, at the start of cooking. If I could afford saffron it would definitely be in the pot as well.
Other than rice and coconut milk, any other good suggestions (aside from cooking stuff in stock or broth rather than water)? Maybe fruit juice…I’m thinking pomegranate…can you imagine the horrible shade of pink resulting from chicken poached in pomegranate?!

As a side note, I served the dandelion greens with an orange vinaigrette, but they were still far to bitter, I think they would be better added (in small amounts) to a mixed green salad, or served with a really creamy cheese, anything to take the edge off.