Thai Corn Rice Parcels

Name: Thai Corn Rice Parcels
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 2/3 cup rice; 1 cup mixed vegetables (corn, carrot, fine beans)

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Thai Corn Rice Parcels

I love having friends and family around for BBQ. The aroma curling up from the grill makes me practically tipsy.

A leisurely bath in the vapours of charcoal just deepens the flavours of any vegetables, meat or fruit put on the coal. I love the ‘community cooking’ aspect of the BBQ. There is almost a synchronised dance wherein everyone just has a go at the grill giving others time to eat or relax.

Whenever I plan BBQ, I always write down what I will be cooking as I usually get swayed away by the sheer number of dishes. I enjoy having lots of dips, salads, chutneys and nibbles. ‘Just a bit of this and bit of that’ is what is most satisfying way to eat at a BBQ.

These small parcels of rice are perfect way to add flavour and variety to the BBQ spread. I make different varieties of rice to wrap in the corn husk for BBQ, but my absolute favourite is the Thai corn rice. I recently cooked this dish for my friend’s farewell party, and it was an absolute hit. These small parcels will leave you wanting for another parcel.

Other recipes you might want to try are Thai Style Paneer in Pandan Leaves, Thai Pandan Leaf Chicken (Gai Haw Bai Toey), Thai Coconut Mussels, and Thai Sweet Corn Fritters (Tod Man Khao Pod) to name a few.

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Ingredients

2/3 cup rice
1 cup mixed vegetables (corn, carrot, fine beans)
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons oil
3 teaspoons Red Thai curry paste
10-12 dried corn husk

Directions

Step-1

Wash the rice under running water and then soak the rice in water for at least 30 minutes.

After the rice has soaked, drain the water using a colander.

Boil the 3-4 cups of water. Add 1 teaspoon oil and rice. Let it cook uncovered until it is 70% cooked. This takes around 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and drain rice in a colander. You can also rinse the rice gently with water so that the grains stop cooking. Spread it on a tray and keep the rice in the fridge to cool it.

Step-2

Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a pan and add the vegetables. Sauté them for 4-5 minutes.

Step-3

Add salt, Red Thai curry paste and mix.

Next, add the rice and mix it all together.

Step-4

Soak the corn husk in hot water for 15-20 minutes to make them pliable. Also, soak some wooden toothpicks in hot water.

After 20 minutes, drain the excess water off the corn husk.

Step-5

Take 2-3 teaspoons of rice and place it in the middle of the corn husk. Wrap the husk around the rice making a square parcel and secure it with the toothpicks.

Step-6

Grill the parcels on the BBQ for 3-4 minutes. Make sure to grill it from both sides.

You can also cook it in the oven or grill at home. Preheat the oven at 180C/fan 160C/Gas 4 and cook the parcels for 5-6 minutes.

Serve hot!

Tips & Variations

It is important to rinse the rice at least three times till the water is clear. This helps to clear the excess starch and this in turn helps in making the rice non sticky.
I always recommend soaking the rice for an hour or if you are short of time then at least for 20 to 25 minutes because well soaked rice will expand and cook well and each strand of rice will be long and fluffy.
Always drain the rice and rinse them in running water stops the rice from cooking further.
Let the rice cool down after boiling before you use it as that prevents the rice from breaking.
Cook the rice until they are al dente which means that the rice is partially cooked almost 75%.
Adding oil to the rice while boiling prevents them from sticking.
You can use fresh corn husk too. Just pull back husk from each ear of corn carefully. Remove and discard silk. Place intact husks in large pot of water to soak.
Chilled cooked rice is the best way to make this rice. Rice that is cooked and still warm turns out to be mushy and sticky when added to the hot vegetables.
As I am always on a time crunch, I simply spread the warm rice on a tray and stick it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until cold.
It is best to cook on high heat to help fry and brown the rice and vegetables thoroughly. Try not to have the rice steam in the pan or stick together too much. Stir frequently.
If you want to make it spicy simply add some extra Thai red curry paste.
You can create a combination of a few to several of your favourite vegetables to enhance this recipe. I have used sweetcorn, carrots, and beans when I cooked it while writing the recipe. However, in the past I have also used peppers, mushrooms, babycorn, broccoli and water chestnuts while making these parcels.
You can use leftover rice to make this dish.
You can use any type of rice for making this dish for example, Jasmine rice, brown rice, or even sticky Thai rice. I usually use medium grain or Jasmine rice at home for this dish.
You can use Green Thai curry paste too for this dish. I just like the red rice contrast with the corn husk so usually use Red Thai curry paste.
If you do not have Red Thai curry paste at home then you can grind 1 inch ginger/galangal, 2 dry red chilli, 1 lemongrass, 1 tablespoon coriander stems, 1 kaffir lime leaf, 1 garlic clove, ¼ onion, ½ teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon roasted coriander seeds into fine paste and add to the vegetables.