Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Rinse the rice until the water runs nearly clear. Combine it with the coconut milk, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, stir once, cover, and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest, still covered, for 10 minutes. The grains should be tender and separate, with no liquid pooled at the bottom.
  2. While the rice cooks, whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, bay leaves, black pepper, and most of the sauce water in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, stir the cornstarch with the remaining sauce water until smooth. The sauce should taste assertively salty, tangy, and peppery before cooking.
  3. Heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the cashews, tossing often, then transfer them to a plate. Add the oil and mushrooms in a single layer, working in batches if necessary; leave them undisturbed at first, then toss and continue cooking. Their wet sizzle should quiet as deep-brown, caramelized edges develop.
  4. Add the onion and green beans and stir-fry until the onion has browned spots and the beans are crisp-tender. Add the garlic and cook briefly. The garlic should smell sweet and fragrant without taking on dark color.
  5. Stir the sauce, pour it into the pan, and simmer until its sharp vinegar aroma mellows. Stir the cornstarch slurry again, add it to the pan, and toss until the sauce clings to the vegetables. Remove the bay leaves, then fold in most of the cashews and basil. The finished glaze should look glossy, and the basil should be just wilted and vivid green.

Plating & Garnishing

Spoon the hot coconut rice into shallow bowls and mound the adobo mushrooms high in the centre. Spoon the peppery glaze around the rice, then finish with the reserved cashews and basil. Serve immediately for the strongest contrast between creamy rice, crisp beans, and crunchy cashews.

Storage & Reheating

Cool the rice and mushroom mixture promptly in separate shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Reheat the mushrooms in a hot skillet with a small splash of water until steaming throughout; microwave the rice, covered, with a damp paper towel. The sauce should loosen and regain its gloss while the beans retain a little snap. For a next-day variation, fold both into a hot skillet for adobo-style fried rice, adding the basil only after removing the pan from the heat.