Coconut Rice
Truly fluffy coconut rice eluded me for years. I felt like I tried every variation possible, but when I lifted the lid, I’d stare at dismay at a layer of coconut fat scum on the surface of the rice which ended up coating all the grains when I fluffed the rice. Finally, I feel like I’ve cracked the secret code. And every since then, I’ve never looked back. Fluffy coconut rice every. single. time WITHOUT FAIL!
Here’s the secret to fluffy coconut rice
And that, my friends, is the secret to fluffy coconut rice. It’s a lot of words. But don’t worry, actually cooking it is super duper simple!
How to rinse rice
I find it easiest to rinse rice in a bowl. Just pour the rice in a bowl and fill with water, then swish it around. Drain (just pour the water out best you can, no need to use a colander), then fill with water again and repeat 4 to 5 times until the water is pretty clear. The water will never be completely clear! My rule of thumb is 4 to 5 refills of the bowl.
BONUS: There’s an even EASIER way to make this using coconut milk powder. I’ve popped that extra recipe below the coconut milk recipe (ie scroll to bottom of post). It’s an extra because I coconut milk powder isn’t as common as coconut milk. While I always have coconut milk on hand, I don’t usually have powder!
How to make Thai / Asian Coconut Rice
To get a true Asian restaurant coconut rice, the secret is to add pandan leaves. If you can’t find pandan leaves, kaffir limes leaves also add a similar fragrance. This is what pandan leaves looks like. It’s sold at some Harris Farms in Australia, as well as Asian stores. To prepare them for use, just knot them – this breaks the leaves, releasing the flavour so it infuses into the rice.
What to serve this with
Coconut rice is a rice dish that is used in cuisines such as Caribbean, Tropical (Hawaiian!) as well as South East Asian foods such as Thai and Malaysian foods. But don’t let “rules” restrict you. Use it as you wish – and I promise you, it’s so delish, you can even eat it plain, straight out of the pot! Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x
Coconut Rice will go great with…
Chickpea Potato Curry or Vegetable Curry Jerk Chicken Beef Rendang Thai Marinated Chicken (Gai Yang) or Southern Thai Chicken Thai Chilli Basil Chicken Stir Fry Pineapple Coconut Hawaiian Chicken Skewers
