Black Garlic Coconut Rice with Crispy Chilli Oil Crunch
By Chef Gordon Ramswine
What it is:
Creamy coconut rice meets deep umami black garlic, lifted with lime and smashed herbs — then wrecked (in a good way) with a hot, crunchy chilli oil topping. It sits somewhere between Thai, Japanese, and “what just happened?”
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
Rice base
• 2 cups jasmine rice
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 4 cloves black garlic (mashed to paste)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• Zest of 1 lime
Crunch topping (the weapon)
• 4 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 tbsp chilli crisp (or dried chilli flakes)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp crushed peanuts
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
Fresh lift
• Handful coriander (rough chopped)
• Handful Thai basil
• Lime wedges
Optional protein
• Crispy pork belly OR soy-glazed mushrooms
Method
1. Rice (don’t rush this)
• Rinse rice until water runs clear.
• Into pot: rice + coconut milk + water + black garlic paste + fish sauce + sugar + lime zest.
• Bring to simmer, lid on, low heat 12 mins.
• Turn off, rest 10 mins.
• Fluff — it should smell borderline illegal.
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2. Crunch topping (this makes it)
• Heat oil until just shimmering.
• Add garlic + shallot → cook until golden and crispy.
• Stir in chilli crisp, peanuts, sesame seeds.
• Kill heat. Let it sit — it’ll intensify.
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3. Assemble
• Rice into bowl.
• Spoon over chilli crunch (don’t be shy).
• Add herbs + squeeze lime.
• Add protein if using.
Menu Description & Serving Notes.
RANSWINE’S NOTES
WHY THIS WORKS
• Black garlic = sweet umami bomb (almost balsamic depth)
• Coconut rice = fat + softness
• Chilli crunch = texture + heat + chaos
• Herbs + lime = stops it becoming heavy sludge
It hits all five taste zones without being a standard dish from any one cuisine.
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IS IT ORIGINAL?
Yes — this exact combination and structure isn’t a known traditional dish:
• Coconut rice → Southeast Asian base
• Black garlic → Japanese/Korean ingredient
• Chilli crisp crunch → Chinese-inspired
• Combined this way with lime + herb finish → not a recognised classic
This is modern fusion, but coherent — not gimmick fusion.
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MEGA UPGRADE (optional but dangerous)
Add a soft egg on top and break it through the chilli oil.
Now it’s no longer dinner — it’s a personality trait.