Basmati Coconut rice is an easy-to-make Asian rice recipe for any special occasion.

Compliment all your favourite side dishes with this fragrant rice dish from simple vegetarian, poultry, meat and seafood curries to baked dishes.

With the rich and creamy flavours of coconut milk coming through, the aromatic ingredients, a pinch of turmeric, and a little garnish sprinkled over the top make this coconut rice, a beautiful and tasty rice dish to serve.

What to serve with basmati coconut rice.

• Vegetarian curries to serve with coconut rice.
  • potato korma(aloo kurma).
  • Sri Lankan-mildly spiced Pineapple curry. or a spicy Pineapple curry.
  • Easy eggplant stir fry or Garlic butter oyster mushroom
  • Bombay potatoes(curried potatoes)
  • chickpeas,pumpkin and mushroom curry(vegan, vegetarian).
  • chickpea and potato curry(chana aloo curry).
  • Tofu curry(vegetarian and vegan curry).
  • Teriyaki tofu(easy tofu recipe).

• Meat, chicken or seafood curries to serve with coconut rice.
  • beef korma curry(slow-cooked Indian beef curry).
  • Black pepper beef curry(Sri Lankan)
  • Easy sesame chicken recipe.
  • chicken Chettinad curry with gravy.
  • Black Pepper Chicken Curry in Yoghurt
  • Easy Sweet and sour meatballs
  • Hot butter cuttlefish
  • devilled prawns(Sri Lankan, shrimp devil). or devilled chilli chicken stir-fry(Sri Lankan).

• Baked dishes to serve with coconut rice.
  • baked lemon chicken.
  • teriyaki marinade baked chicken.
  • air fryer chicken drumsticks
  • air fryer chicken leg quarters
  • Baked chicken curry with lemongrass
  • Indian tandoori fish masala (oven-baked).

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Tips to cook fluffy basmati coconut rice

• Rinse the rice until the rice grains are visible.
• For best results use basmati rice.
  • Basmati gives the most flavorful rice and absorbs the coconut milk without turning mushy. You can also use keeri samba which I have done a few times. For keeri samba follow the same quantity of water, only replace 1 and a 1/2 cups
  of it with coconut milk. Avoid using rice that cooks fast like parboiled rice or short-grain
  • rice that turns mushy at the end.
  • Keep in mind for every cup of basmati rice the amount of liquid required is 1 and 1/2 cups of water.
  • To cook the coconut rice, we will be replacing some of this water with coconut milk.

• If you live in a hot, humid country or even on a hot day, don’t leave the cooked rice out for more than 1 hour(outdoors), or 3 hours(indoors)as rice spoils quickly.
• To be safe, once you’ve cooked the rice either serve within an hour or 2(indoor serving)or refrigerate the rice.

• Type of coconut milk.
  • Canned and thick coconut cream.
    • Avoid using canned coconut milk or creamy coconut milk, these are usually very thick which you will have to either scoop from a spoon or pour in dollops.
    • If you are going to use the canned version then dilute 1/4 cup of the coconut cream with 1 cup of water which will give you the consistency of the milk we are using here.

• Liquid coconut milk.
  • Comes in packed cartons, these have the correct consistency and can be poured directly from the carton to the cooking pan. Remember to shake before using.

• Coconut milk powder. mix 3 tablespoons of coconut powder into 1 cup of water.

Faq: basmati coconut rice

• Can I use shredded coconut or dessicated coconut to extract coconut milk?
  • Although you can extract coconut milk, the thickness or taste will not be the same. personally, I would not recommend using desiccated coconut or any type of coconut flakes that have gone through a dehydrating process.

• What are the aromatic spices I can skip to make the coconut rice?
  • For a simpler version of the coconut rice, remove the cloves, curry leaves, and cumin seeds.
  • You can still have the flavoursome coconut rice.

Utensils and appliances needed.

• Chopping board/knife.
• Large bowl to wash the rice.
• Frying pan to temper the ingredients.
• Large cooking pan.
• A fork to fluff the rice.

Basic rice recipes you can try.

• Easy lemon rice recipe.
• how to cook rice on the stove.
• Sri Lankan Yellow Rice(turmeric rice)
• ghee rice(nei choru).

More rice recipes to try.

• Chicken kabsa(Saudi chicken and rice recipe)
• chicken mandi rice.
• egg biryani (one pot rice dish/stove-top)
• chicken biryani(hyderabadi).

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-LITTLE CARE NEEDED.

Ingredients to cook coconut rice

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

2 cups of basmati rice

2 cups of water

1 and 1/2 cup coconut milk(refer to tips above)

3 tablespoons of oil/ ghee

1 tablespoon of minced garlic(about 3 cloves)

1 teaspoon of minced ginger(about 1″ piece minced)

1/8 teaspoon turmeric(a pinch, only to add some color which you can opt-out of)

1 bay leaf

4 cardamom pods slightly bruised

3 cloves

2″ cinnamon piece

1 teaspoon cumin seed

A large piece of pandan leaf knotted or cut in two(substitute with extra 2 bay leaves)

Salt to season

How to cook basmati coconut rice

Wash and rinse the rice until water is clear, this should take about four rinses.

Submerge rice completely with water and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

How to temper ingredients for the coconut rice.

Place a frying pan over medium heat, and pour in the oil, you can substitute with ghee, and let the oil warm for a few seconds.

Add the curry leaves, pandan, bay leaf, ginger-garlic, turmeric(optional), cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and cumin seeds.

Cook over low-medium heat for 3-5 minutes over medium heat while frequently stirring the ingredients until the aromas are released. set aside.

(refer to FAQ for spices you can opt-out of to make the rice)

How to cook the coconut rice.

Drain the soaking water from the rice and add the rice to the cooking pan.

Add the recommended amount of water followed by the amount of coconut milk.

Use a spoon to swirl the water and coconut milk with the rice.

Season with salt.

Add the tempered ingredients with the oil(or ghee)to the rice.

Place the pan over the stove and cook the rice over low-medium heat until the water reduces and the rice absorbs the coconut milk.

Once all the liquid is cooked through you’ll notice tiny holes appearing on the surface of the rice, this is your visual indication that the coconut rice is almost cooked through.

Reduce heat to low and use a fork to gently run through the rice. try not to break the rice grains, at this point, you are just making sure that the rice grains are not going to stick to the pan.

Further reduce heat, cover and cook for 5 minutes to remove the last bit of wet moisture.

Check for doneness after 5 minutes.

Remove from the stove, and remove the lid from the pan. let it sit for a few minutes and then use a fork to fluff the rice.

Keep in mind that the remaining heat will continue to cook the rice.

I like to transfer the rice to a large wide platter so the rice in the bottom cooks evenly and doesn’t turn too soft with the remaining heat.

Avoid covering for at least 10-12 minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander or parsley. You can also garnish with some toasted cashews, almond flakes or coconut.

Serve warm with any of the side dish options given above.

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