Coconut Rice: An Asian Staple For You To Try At Home

Asian cuisine, considering the many countries and cultures it includes, has given us many iconic dishes that have become widely popular all over the world. Rice, ginger, seeds, dried vegetables, soy, tofu, curry and more ingredients combined bring together one of the most exotic cuisines worldwide.

Coconut rice is just one of those iconic meals the world has embraced due to its fluffiness and the coconut flavor it has, not to mention is a fully vegan recipe. Keep reading this article and check the following link to know more about this recipe and the rice you need to make it: mahatmarice.com/recipes/easy-coconut-rice/

Jasmine rice

As you might know already, white rice is the most popular, but not the only type of rice there is. Once you get to know the wide variety of grains, you’ll see how the different types are more appropriate for different recipes and that will allow you to make the most out of each variety.

Coconut rice uses Jasmine rice in its recipe to achieve the key characteristic of this meal: the fluffiness. What makes Jasmine rice so special? The aroma it releases when cooking it. It’s an aromatic kind of rice whose flavor can be further enhanced using different kinds of recipes. This one in particular combines the buttery fragrance of the rice with the coconut milk and the sugar used, giving as a result a kind of sweet and creamy dish.

Jasmine rice, together with the rest of the ingredients can be found in any local store and can be cooked in both a pot or an instant pot. Make sure you check the package instructions before cooking it.

The recipe

If you’ve never experienced much with your cooking, but want to try out new and exotic flavors, Coconut rice might be the perfect option for you to start. This is an extremely easy recipe to make. It takes a very short time to make and you only need one pot and a few ingredients. Moreover, even though coconut rice tends to be on the sweet side of the taste spectrum, it is a great side dish for many meals.

Jasmine rice is not generally rinsed in any preparation, but the secret to a fluffy coconut rice is just the rinsing and the soaking, so forget about that rule when making this particular meal. Besides, it can be replaced by Basmati rice, another aromatic type of rice.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Jasmine rice.
• 2 cups of coconut milk.
• 2 cups of water.
• 1 tbsp of sugar.
• 1 tbsp of salt.
• Green onions.
• Fresh cilantro.
• 1 lime.

Instructions:

1. Even though this recipe uses Jasmine rice, you’ll want to rinse it two or three times first to get rid of most of the starch.
2. Soak the rice in clear water for at least fifteen minutes and drain it.
3. Take a medium-size pot and place two cups of water, the soaked rice and two cups of full fat coconut milk.
4. Sprinkle a pinch of salt all over the mix and add a tablespoon of sugar.
5. Mix everything together over a medium to high heat and let it cook for a few minutes, until the mix starts boiling.
6. Once it boils, take the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid. Let it cook for at least fifteen minutes or until the liquid is fully absorbed.
7. During this time, do not stir nor lift the lid. Do so just to check if the rice is done.
8. Once the liquid has evaporated and the rice is tender, turn the heat off and, with the lid still on, let the mix sit for ten extra minutes.
9. Before serving, fluff the rice with the help of a spatula and top it all with some previously washed and chopped green onions.
10. Sprinkle some cilantro and zest a lime over the dish.

Note: you can try a fully Asian version of this by adding some pandan leaves to the pot.

Variations

As mentioned before, coconut rice is originally Thai, but it has been embraced by many other cultures around the world and they have all found a way to make their own version of it. So, are the recipes so different between each other? Actually, no. The core recipe is always the same, but you can use different toppings or ingredients at the time of cooking.

For example, for a Caribbean version of coconut rice, you can add some ginger, cinnamon and garlic while cooking. For a Colombian version of this recipe, try including plantains to the pot. But if you’re after a more African version, try the Nigerian Coconut rice and make it spicier by using some boney peppers. Mind you, they can be fiery so try that out only if you like spicy food!