Rice Vermicelli with Coconut Milk and Tropical Fruits

         When I was a small child, one of the dishes that my mum used to cook for my breakfast was vermicelli with milk. It was not a thick, creamy, unbearably sweet pudding as a traditional kheer; instead of it, it was more like a light soup with small pasta “worms” in a liberally sweetened “milk stock”. I was not the only kid who used to enjoy this dish for breakfast: it was (and, I reckon, still is) quite a popular option for the start of the day. 

         Since I grew up and left my parents’ house I have never had vermicelli for breakfast again – I have strongly associated the dish with the childhood and, thus, considered it to be too “childish” to go for it again. I guess I should make a remark here: my husband still sometimes has his vermicelli for breakfast and – no, I don’t find it to be “infantile” about him (it’s actually quite cute, isn’t it?).

         Last year, however, I came across a recipe of a similar dish: rice vermicelli with coconut milk and tropical fruits. It was like a twist on a traditional “school-days” breakfast; quite an exotic twist, I should say. Ironically, I found the recipe in a Russian cooking magazine (no kidding – with all the list of extraordinary ingredients!). Since I was in India at the time and had an access to those rice vermicelli (to be honest with you, I use it more at home than plain rice or traditional wheat pasta) and – luckily! – to all sorts of fresh tropical fruits, I couldn’t but give the recipe a try. From that day on it became a dish that I cook regularly for breakfast. With a zing from ginger and lime, with a sweetness of coconut milk and silkiness of rice vermicelli and – with an appealing vividness of fruits – it is now strongly associated for me with Asia and, at the same time, I can feel a warming connection with the childhood which makes the dish even more enjoyable for me!



The original recipe from “Gastronome” magazine


Ingredients:

80 gm rice vermicelli
100 ml coconut milk
2,5 cm ginger, grated
zest of 1 lime
tropical fruits, cut into slices


Method:

1. Soak the rice vermicelli in hot water for a few minutes.
2. In a pan, bring coconut milk, together with ginger and lime zest, to a simmer. Add rice vermicelli and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
3. To serve, divide the vermicelli and coconut milk between the two bowls. Arrange fruits on top.


Notes:

1. You may very the amount and the type of coconut milk (light or normal) according to your taste.
2. If the dish lacks sweetness for you, add some sugar or – for more authentic flavour – grated jaggery to it.