Coconut Rice

In this episode of Chow-To, Guillermo meets with Francesca Chaney, the youngest restaurateur in Brooklyn, at her vegan café Sol Sips. Francesca teaches Guillermo how to make vegan cultured butter using coconut oil , creating not only a healthier and tastier alternative to the commonly found substitutes (looking at you margarine), but also an affordable option compared to store-bought. Cultured vegan butter can be used as a tasty spread or browned and used for baking as well. Francesca was named one of Eater’s Young Guns ’19, as recognition of her culinary talent and her amazing community work out of Bushwick. Her plan is to offer affordable wellness to underserved customers, and make sure her products are accessible to all.

In this episode of Kitchen Essentials, we visit sushi master Nozomu Abe at his celebrated omakase restaurant, Sushi Noz in NYC. Noz has been perfecting his craft for over 20 years, and it shows in his obsessive attention to detail when it comes to his food and the exclusive dinner experiences he offers. At Sushi Noz you will find Edomae sushi, a style that focuses on the treatment of ingredients through preservation of the fish, and a particular preparation of the rice. These processes are all part of the performance Abe puts on for his diners at his counter every night. When it comes to his favorite tools, he shows us both his prep and counter knives; His binchōtan coals and gril,l which he brings out to show customers how he sears and smokes delicate morsels of tuna or eel. After that he talks to us about the most important element of sushi, and the tool that is essential for him to make it: the rice and his traditional hagama. Setting the stage for his performance, is a space carefully curated to look, smell and feel like a traditional omakase in Japan, complete with a traditional hinoki refrigerator that he specifically commissioned for the restaurant, and a beautiful collection of Japanese ceramics both old and new, that lend the final touches to this unique food experience.

In this episode of Chow-To, Guillermo visits Sarah Lee, founder of Kimbap Lab, and expert in Korean home cooking, to learn how to make Dduk Guk, a rice cake soup traditionally eaten to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Korea. This is a perfect winter soup beyond the holiday. Loaded with soft pillowy rice cakes, delicious garnishes, and a rich beef broth, this is comfort in a bowl.

In this episode, Guillermo visits Chef Pierre Thiam at his fast casual restaurant, Teranga, where he serves Senegalese-inspired grain bowls— AKA, the ultimate power lunch. Chef Thiam's goal is to educate health-conscious American consumers on these superfoods, while also improving the lives of producers by restoring biodiversity to the planet through highly sustainable ancient crops. Together they make a Yassa Bowl using West African red rice, one of the super grains highest in nutritional value today.

Roasted acorn squash is a hearty, relatively low-effort meal that's easily adapted to whatever ingredients you prefer (or happen to have on hand). The wild rice stuffing here is enhanced with sauteed onions, shallots, and celery, plus dried cranberries and toasted pecans for crunch. Replace the butter with vegetable oil and it's also vegan! Or go meaty and add crumbled sausage to the mix. Get the recipe.

This festive white cloud of a cake is perfect for Christmas and other special occasions. Three layers of coconut-milk-infused white cake are sandwiched with lightly sweet whipped cream filling, frosted with fluffy marshmallow, and covered with snowdrifts of coconut flakes. Get the recipe.