Nine-year-old Jasmy Mavilla, of Lawrence, accepts a check Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, at Raintree Montessori School after winning a cooking contest held by rice company Uncle Ben’s. Her shrimp masala rice recipe won 0,000 for her school's cafeteria.

A Lawrence fourth-grader’s recipe has won her school’s kitchen $30,000.

Jasmy Mavilla, 9, entered her shrimp masala rice recipe in a cooking contest, winning $15,000 personally and $30,000 for Raintree Montessori School, 4601 Clinton Parkway. Jasmy is glad to have won the money for Raintree’s kitchen.

“I think it’s amazing because they could really use it,” she said. “It’s a tiny kitchen.”

Raintree Montessori School fourth-grader Jasmy Mavilla recently created a shrimp masala rice recipe and entered it in a cooking contest, winning her family 5,000 and 0,000 for her school's cafeteria.

Classrooms at Raintree have small kitchens for preparing snacks or other class projects to go along with lessons, and one main kitchen for meals. Lleanna McReynolds, head of school at Raintree, said that after classrooms were added to the school, the kitchen has been in need of an update.

“The kitchen was built when we had 10 classrooms, and now we have 21 classrooms, so you can imagine how much we needed this makeover,” McReynolds said. The money will likely be used to expand the school’s main kitchen to allow for a walk-in refrigerator and more prep space, she said.

“For us it was a great gift because we are going to be able to do some upgrades to our kitchen that we wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise,” she said.

Jasmy entered Ben’s Beginners Cooking Contest by submitting a video of herself cooking the recipe. The contest is held by the rice company Uncle Ben’s to encourage an early interest in cooking and in family mealtime.

Representatives from the contest visited Jasmy at Raintree on Thursday to award the checks. As part of the presentation, Jasmy also made the recipe, which she has named “Shrimply Delicious Masala Rice.” Jasmy said that what she likes about cooking is the variety.

“I think it’s fun because for each dish it’s different to make,” she said.

Jasmy, who started cooking when she was 4, has practiced her skills both in her classroom as well as at home. She said she got interested in cooking by watching her older sister and her mom, Sowjanya Seetala, at home, and the first thing she made herself was scrambled eggs. She’s added a lot to her repertoire since then, and said that currently some of her favorite things to make are macaroons, crepes and lemon meringue pie.

As far as the $15,000 the recipe won her, Jasmy said she plans to donate part of it to UNICEF and save another part for college. After a pause she added and “some for a few toys.” Those plans align well with her goals, as she says she wants to be a chef and also a philanthropist when she grows up.

This week’s experience wasn’t Jasmy’s first time being recognized for her cooking. Last year, she visited the White House after her recipe for “Tangy Veggy Springetty” won a contest. Jasmy was one of more than 1,500 children from across the country who submitted an original recipe to the “Healthy Lunchtime Challenge,” a contest that’s part of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative, which promotes healthy eating for kids.

The video of Jasmy’s winning entry to the Uncle Ben’s contest can be viewed on its website. McReynolds said Jasmy has always been independent and loved cooking, but the recent attention for her recipes has helped her grow.

“She’s a shy little girl that kind of has come out of her shell from these experiences with cooking,” she said.

Jasmy Mavilla's shrimp masala rice recipe

Shrimply Delicious Masala Rice

Ingredients:

About a dozen shrimp

1 cup of vegetables of your choice (Jasmy used bell peppers, onions, beans, carrots, peas)

1 cup okra, optional

10 grape or cherry tomatoes, optional

1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1 teaspoon yogurt

2 teaspoons oil

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon salt, as needed

mint/cilantro, optional for garnish

1 packet Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice Brown Basmati

Preparation:

Marinate the shrimp and mixed vegetables with ginger garlic paste, curry powder, salt and yogurt for 5-10 minutes. Pour 1 teaspoon oil and sauté the long sliced okra for 5-10 minutes or until crisp. After they are done save them on a plate (if you want them crispy) or leave it in the pan and proceed to next step. Pour 1 teaspoon of oil and cook the shrimp and veggies together about 5-10 minutes. Shrimp cooks quickly so do not overcook. Cook Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice Brown Basmati as directed on package. Pour the rice over the shrimp and veggies mixture; add the cooked okra and tomatoes. Mix them all together. Cover it and cook for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with mint or cilantro.