It is difficult to think of a country or a culture that does not use rice as an ingredient for any of its main dishes.
Latin America, Asia, Europe… all of these continents have at least one staple recipe that includes rice.
We are used to having this grain as a side dish; steamed, stir-fried or even boiled and paired with veggies, meat, seafood… you name it, rice is great with anything.
Today, we bring you a different recipe that you may have not heard of before: coconut rice.
Sweet or savory, this version of rice is quick, easy, and delicious.
What is coconut rice?
Coconut rice is basically jasmine rice cooked with coconut milk.
This dish is very popular in India, in many regions of Southeast Asia like Thailand, and even in the Caribbean, where coconut is a staple ingredient as well.
In Thai cuisine, Kao Mun Som Tum includes coconut rice: jasmine rice is used, cooked with coconut cream instead of just water, and served with green papaya salad, shredded pork, chicken curry and spicy tamarind relish.
In Jamaica, for example, coconut rice is served with pigeon peas, which are small round peas similar to red beans, aromatic herbs and Scotch bonnet chilis, also known as Caribbean chilis (watch out! they are 40 to 50 times hotter than jalapeños).
However, coconut rice is not only used in savory dishes, as a side dish to fish and seafood, but also for sweet ones as a dessert or even a snack.
As we mentioned before, jasmine rice is light, aromatic and perfect to absorb the coconut flavor of milk or cream.
Many cooks add palm sugar to their mixtures when they are boiling the rice in cream or milk to add sweetness to it.
Today, we want to share a sweet coconut rice recipe for you to make at home. It is quick, easy and a guaranteed hit.
Sweet Coconut Rice Recipe
We all know how delicious white rice can be. But if you got tired of the same salty rice you usually eat, this recipe is for you.
You may not even want to have it as a dessert, this rice recipe is also great to be paired with savory meals if you leave some ingredients aside (such as the vanilla beans and mangoes); we have provided some quick ideas that come from Thai and Caribbean cuisine above (like using coconut rice with curries, chicken, beans and chilis), but you can learn another interesting, easy and delicious recipe to make at home here: https://mahatmarice.com/recipes/easy-coconut-rice.
Going back to our sweet recipe, here is what you will need:
Ingredients:
- 150 grams of long-grain white rice.
- 500 ml of coconut milk.
- 500 ml of coconut cream.
- 50 grams of palm sugar or brown sugar.
- Shredded coconut.
- Walnuts.
- Vanilla beans.
- 2 diced mangoes.
How to make sweet coconut rice:
- First of all, rinse your rice. Grab a large pot and cover the rice with water, plenty of it. Use your hands to remove the excess starch, this will be paramount to obtain fluffy rice that does not stick to your pot and that has the perfect consistency. Rinse the grains until the water becomes clear.
- Once the rice is thoroughly rinsed, cover it with cold water and bring it to a boil. After the rice has boiled for five minutes, drain the water and return your rice to the heat.
- Add coconut milk, cream, vanilla beans and sugar to the rice. Turn the heat up and bring it to a boil. After it has boiled, lower the heat and let the rice simmer gently for about twenty to twenty-five minutes. The rice should be tender and the liquid fully absorbed.
- Remove the rice from the heat and stir the shredded coconut. If you want to add extra flavor, you can even toast the shredded coconut in a pan before adding it. Set it aside and let it cool for at least an hour in the fridge.
- After an hour has passed, roast walnuts and dice two mangoes. Serve the rice and top it with the nuts and fruit. If you don’t like mangoes, you can add pineapple or just have it as it is; coconut rice is delicious on its own.
All that’s left is to eat this dessert and enjoy it!