Crab Rice with Alavar and Cucumber

steps

1. Make the rice: In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add ginger and cook until caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add shallots and cook until golden, 2 to 3 more minutes. Add rice and sauté until well incorporated, breaking up any lumps. Stir in fish sauce and soy sauce, mixing well to incorporate. Set aside.
2. Make the alavar sauce: In a large saucepan, heat soybean oil over medium. Add shredded coconut and toast until golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
3. In the same saucepan, add annatto oil over medium heat. Add onion, sauteing until translucent. Add ginger, jalapeño, garlic, and lemongrass and cook until vegetables have softened. Add turmeric, annatto powder, and bird’s eye chili and cook until toasted and fragrant. Stir in coconut milk and toasted coconut. Simmer until coconut milk is reduced by half. Add crab stock and continue cooking until slightly reduced. Add brown sugar, fish sauce, and crab roe. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender. (Alternatively, carefully transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.) Stir in salt.
4. To assemble: Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add soybean oil and heat until just smoking. Add rice, green onions, lemon juice, and crabmeat, stirring gently to combine. Season with salt to taste. Once rice is warmed through, transfer to a cast-iron skillet. Pour alavar sauce over rice and serve with a cucumber salad (cucumber, pickled red onion, cilantro, and arbequina).