Coconut Rice Recipe: How to Cook Sweet Healthy Coconut Milk Rice

Photo of Coconut Rice Recipe: How to Cook Sweet Healthy Coconut Milk Rice

Coconut rice is a very simple sweet rice recipe common to many parts of the world; this creamy rice recipe is usually prepared with coconut milk or coconut cream, the rice has a subtle aroma of coconut that may not need any addition of many spices and many people love it. There are different ways to make coconut rice according to different countries; in this case, different kinds of rice can be used for cooking coconut rice such as Sticky rice (Arborio or tuwo rice), jasmine rice, basmati rice, brown rice and white rice. However, we have many coconut rice recipes, which include Jamaican coconut rice, Nigerian coconut rice, Thai coconut rice, coconut rice pudding,coconut jasmine rice, sticky coconut rice, coconut basmati rice and Indian coconut rice and many others.

Table of Contents

Four methods of making coconut rice

  1. Baked coconut rice: this is so simple to make, after you have added all the ingredients to your rice including the coconut milk, just place the coconut rice on a stove for the liquid to evaporate a little bit, and then turn the rice into a baking tray and place in the oven to bake gently.
  2. White/plain coconut rice: in this method, the coconut rice is usually prepared white or plain without tomatoes, the only thing that is needed is just the coconut milk and some other coconut rice ingredients. The picture above is the typical example of plain coconut rice, even though i had to add few vegetables to mine, you can make this without adding vegies.
  3. Coconut fried rice: this is another tasty coconut dish, which is usually prepared like fried rice recipeThis method of coconut rice is a bit complex but very delicious, the rice is usually mixed and cooked with other coconut rice ingredients until the liquid dries up , then scooped into a rice pan to fry with a little oil and some vegetables just like fried rice. Another way to make coconut fried rice is to fry coconut rice spices or ingredients with green vegies in a little oil until they smell fragrance then add coconut milk and parboiled rice into the fried ingredients and cook until the rice turns soft, curry or tumeric powdercan be added in this rice recipe.
  4. Jollof coconut rice: this method of coconut rice is similar to party jollof rice recipe, the only difference between both is the use of coconut milk or cream hence it is also refers to red coconut rice.

Whichever way you love to prepare your sweet coconut rice dish, you can always include some healthy vegetables like bell pepperscarrots, green beans, and green peas just like in the above picture. In addition, some seasonings like thyme, curry, garlic and ginger can be included to infuse some nice taste to your coconut rice. A Simple coconut rice dish like the above can be served in parties, picnics or in any ceremony.

Additionally, coconut rice can be enjoyed along with grilled chicken or fish, fried beef, shrimp, salmon, liver or goat meat, however, coconut rice goes well with a chilled salad or coleslaw, but in the place of salad, you can enjoy it with chilled soft drink.

Coconut rice Ingredients

  1. 400g long grain parboiled rice or any rice of your choice
  2. 2 matured coconut (or canned coconut milk)
  3. 1 cup of chopped carrots
  4. 1 cup of chopped green beans
  5. 2 medium sized bell peppers
  6. 1 cup of beef or chicken broth
  7. 2 tablespoons of ground crayfish
  8. 1 tablespoon of thyme
  9. teaspoon of ground nutmeg
  10. 4 pieces of scotch bonnets or chilli peppers
  11. 1 big size onion
  12. 2 stock cubes
  13. Salt to taste
  14. You can also include curry, garlic and ginger if you want
Ingredients for making coconut milk rice
Ingredients for making coconut milk rice

 

Preparation and Cooking of Sweet Healthy Coconut Milk rice

  1. Crack open coconuts and separate the flesh from the hard shell; cut the coconut into tiny pieces and rinse with clean water.
  2. Place them in a blender add a little warm water to it and blend until it is smooth.
  3. Add 1 cup of warm water to the blended coconut to mix, then filter into a bowl and keep aside.
  4. Do not throw the coconut chaff away yet, you may need it later. See the process of extracting coconut milk.
  5. Measure rice into a pot, add water to it and place on heat to boil for 5- 10 minutes.
  6. Bring the rice off from heat, add cool water to it to rinse excess out excess starch, then sieve out the liquid and keep the rice aside.
  7. Grind peppers, crayfish, chop one big onion and keep all aside, if you dont have the already prepared ingredients.
  8. Bring the coconut milk into a large pot; add the beef or chicken broth if you have any.
  9. Add the chopped onions, crayfish, pepper, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and 2 seasoning cubes into the coconut milk.
  10. Bring the parboiled rice into the pot containing the coconut milk and stir it properly to combine.
  11. Place the coconut rice on stove and bring it to a boil, let it cook on a medium heat until the water dries up.
  12. While the coconut rice is on heat, wash, cut green beans, carrots and green bell peppers into smaller sizes and then keep all aside.
  13. You have to keep checking the rice from time to time to see if it is soft or the water has reduced. Once you notice the water in the rice dried while the rice is not yet soft, you can add a little water to the coconut chaff youve kept aside and extract more liquid, then add it to the rice to cook till it becomes soft.
  14. Once the water is remaining very little to dry and the rice is cooked, bring in the chopped carrots, bell peppers and green beans into the coconut rice and level it on top of the rice and dont stir yet, let them steam with the remaining liquid in the rice.
  15. Reduce the heat and let the rice sit on the heat for 3 minutes, come back to the rice, stir well to incorporate the vegetables, leave it to cook for 1 minute more. Put off the heat and serve your coconut rice with chilled salad together with grilled chicken, beef or fish.

Easy steps to make sweet coconut milk rice with pictures

1. Crack open coconuts and separate the flesh from the hard shell; cut the coconuts into tiny pieces and rinse with clean water.

cracked coconuts
cracked coconuts

 

2. Place them in a blender add warm water to it and blend until it is smooth. You can as well use a hand grater to great your coconuts if you dont have strong blender for this.

3. Add 1 cup of warm water to the blended coconut and use your hands to mix and squeeze out the milk. Use a sieve with tiny holes to filter the coconut milk into a bowl and keep aside. Do not throw the coconut chaff away yet, you may need it later if your rice is not soft.

sieved coconut milk
sieved coconut milk

 

4. Measure rice into a pot, add water to it and place on heat to boil for 5- 10 minutes. You dont cook coconut rice with the starch in the rice and dont let the rice to become soft while parboiling it.

5. Bring the rice off from heat, add cold water to it and rinse out excess starch, then sieve out the liquid and keep the rice aside.

Parboiled rice for making of coconut rice
Parboiled rice for making of coconut rice

 

6. Grind peppers, crayfish, chop one big onion and keep all aside.

7. Bring the coconut milk into a large pot; add the beef or chicken broth if you have any.

8. Add the chopped onions, crayfish, pepper, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and 2 seasoning cubes into the coconut milk.

Mixing of coconut rice
Mixing of coconut rice

 

9. Bring the parboiled rice into the pot containing the coconut milk and stir it properly to combine. The water should be at the same level with the rice; place the coconut rice on a stove and bring it to a boil, let it cook on a medium heat until the water dries up.

10. While the coconut rice is on heat, wash and cut green beans, carrots and green bell peppers into smaller sizes and then keep them aside. Make sure you dont add them to the rice until the water has reduced.

11. You have to keep checking the rice from time to time to see if it is soft or the water has reduced. Once you notice the water in the rice dried while the rice is not yet soft, you can add a little water to the coconut chaff

youve kept aside and mix it to extract more liquid, then add it to the rice to cook until it becomes properly soft.

Cooking of coconut rice
Cooking of coconut rice

 

12. Once the water is about to dry like 5 minutes left and the rice has cooked, bring in the chopped carrots, bell peppers and green beans into the coconut rice and dont stir it yet.

Cooking process of coconut rice
Cooking process of coconut rice

 

The liquid in the rice is remaining few minutes to dry completely
The liquid in the rice is remaining few minutes to dry completely

 

13. Reduce the heat and let the rice sit on heat for 3 minutes more, come back to the rice, stir well so that the vegetables will incorporate with the rice, then allow the rice on a low heat for 1 minute.

Adding of vegetables to coconut rice
Adding of vegetables to coconut rice

 

Once you have stirred the rice to combine, let it sit for 1 minute on heat  then serve it as you want
Once you have stirred the rice to combine, let it sit for 1 minute on heat then serve it as you want

 

14. Put off the heat and serve your sweet coconut rice with chilled salad together with grilled chicken, beef or fish.

Sweet yummy coconut rice
Sweet yummy coconut rice

 

Serving of coconut rice with beef and fish
Serving of coconut rice with beef and fish

 

Watch the above simple coconut rice video; If you have any question pertaining how to make coconut rice, please drop it in the comment box below.