Rice and chicken? At some point, e-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y viewing this post has made or at least eaten rice and chicken. It is not a secret that I am against the boring old rice and chicken because according to me, it is a suppression of creativity. Rice and chicken is quick and it gets the job done. Quite frankly, it is tasty as it is. However, I am not condoning making rice and chicken everyday because on this blog. I promote adding unique, vibrant spins to humdrum everyday meals.
Choice of Plate
Firstly, the reason I chose not to make this a recipe post is because I would like us to pause and simply take a moment to appreciate choice of presentation in this post. When I made this lime chicken and coconut rice, I had the idea of plating the elements of this dish in columns. I used a black slate plate because that was the first step towards deviating away from the boringgg rice and chicken served in a white plate with gravy on top. Lesson: The choice of plate or serving platter plays a significant role in the overall appearance of the dish. For a fine dining aesthetic, I usually opt for black as the colour of choice for the plate because it lets the ingredients shine. If not black, then any dark coloured preferably matte textured plate will do the job.
Food Arrangement
Secondly, I chose to arrange the food in columns, starting with a column of rice, then a column of the chicken then the salsa. This is an easy hack to ensure that I can guarantee will give such a polished overall look compared to stacking the rice on top of the chicken.
Fresh Elements: Pineapple, Lime, Coriander
Furthermore, I cannot forget to draw attention to what gives this meal its unique, vibrant flair: the fresh pineapple, coriander and lime. Fruit and herbs used correctly have the power to elevate the most ordinary looking meal to an actual display of culinary bravado. I placed the pineapple and lime in between the chicken because the alternating lime-green, yellow and brown adds a tropical ‘fiesta’ island feel to the meal.
Lastly, let’s talk about the coconut rice. I had never made coconut rice before this post and I must say, what a discovery! Whoever came up with the concept of cooking rice in coconut cream instead of plain salted water deserves applause. Again, it tasted like it was cooked in an island kitchen with chefs wearing yellow hats lol.
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