Recipe: Shallot Rice

Warm up with a bowl of pure comfort: "Brothy" Rice with Frizzled Shallots. This dish is a beautiful balance of textures, featuring a bright, aromatic Thai-inspired broth poured around a neat island of rice and finished with an indulgent, salty crunch.

The star of this recipe is the shallots, which offer a refined, gourmet sweetness that ordinary onions just can't match.

We love using garden-grown shallots for "frizzling" because their firm texture allows them to crisp up beautifully while maintaining their delicate flavour.

Best sown in early spring, shallots are a versatile staple for any kitchen garden, though any variety you have on hand will provide that signature golden crunch.

Ingredients:

600 ml vegetable stock

2-3 tsp light soy sauce

2 kaffir lime leaves

30 - 40g Galangal (bruised)

1 Lemongrass stalk (bruised and chopped into 4cm pieces)

2 green bird's - eye chillies (brusied)

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Pinch Thai basil leaves

2 portions of Jasmine rice (fresh or day-old)

Crispy shallots (store-bought or homemade)

Method

1. Infuse the Broth
In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable stock, soy sauce, and a pinch of salt to a simmer. Add the kaffir lime leaves, bruised chillies, galangal, and lemongrass. Let it simmer gently for 5 minutes until the kitchen smells incredible and the broth is deeply infused.

2. Prep the Rice "Island"
While the broth simmers, prepare your rice. For the TikTok look:
Pack the cooked rice into a small bowl or ramekin.
Invert it into the center of a wide, shallow serving bowl to create a neat "dome."

3. Finish the Broth
Turn off the heat. Stir in the Thai basil leaves and the lime juice. Taste it—it should be bright, zesty, and spicy.

4. The "TikTok Pour"
Slowly ladle the boiling hot broth around the rice dome. The rice should be partially submerged but still visible as an "island."

5. Top with Crispy Shallots
Just before serving, top with a generous handful of crispy shallots. Adding them at the very last second ensures they stay loud and crunchy against the steaming broth.