Serunding

Photo: flickr user avlxyz

Ingredients

1 cup Finely grated coconut, slightly moist

1 tablespoon Minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)

1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon Ground cumin

1 teaspoon Ground coriander

teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

Preparation

Lukins.

Verbatim. Just sorta caught my eye as I flipped though the book looking fer ideas.

Would like to mention that when I worked at a vegetarian restaurant, we did a daily "Square Meal" that consisted of (usually) some sort of bean, a grain, veggie/salad, fresh bread. Anywho....made a dish we called Jamaican Red Beans and Rice...to which I of course lost the recipe. But*this*

Recipe is about what I remember the spices being that we added to the cooked red beans, hence, this coconut condiment added to some nice red beans and served over rice should be excellent with the addition of some added chiles, o' course.

[Author's intro:] "Malaysian restaurateur Aziza Ali lives in Singapore, where she owns the finest restaurant - Aziza's. Her spice combinations, especially this coconut condiment, fascinated me. In her 'serunding'

[ital.] mixture, Aziza combines the coconut with sweet and savory spices.

Delicate toasting brings out all the flavors. Serve it sprinkled over Malay Oxtail Soup, Thai Coconut Ratatouille, or Exotic Lamb Curry (see Index). I also like to serve this as a garnish for curries."

Preheat the oven to 350degrees F.

In a large bowl lightly toss all the ingredients together with your hands, making sure that the garlic and spices are well distributed.

Spread the coconut mixture on a baking sheet and toast on the center rack of the oven, until pale golden, 5 to 7 minute, shaking the pan twice.

Check after 5 minutes to be sure the coconut doesn't burn. Remove to let cool and dry out slightly. Store in an airtight jar until use. This will keep 3 to 4 weeks.

Makes 1 cup.