Coconut milk rice or coconut rice is a main dish from south of India, where coconut is grown in abundance. There are so many versions of coconut rice in south India that one can find them different from state to state.
This coconut milk rice is fragrant with subtle aroma of coconut since fried coconut is also used. The addition of veggies is optional since we are so much used to them in any one pot meal i use. This way I ensure that we do not miss our daily quota of vegetables. This makes one of the best lunch box recipes for kids and working adults too.
This easy coconut milk rice doesn’t need any side dish, it tastes good on its own, just use enough green chillies or garam masala to spice it up. To make your meal special, you can pair it with any simple curry.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
- 2 tins store bought coconut milk
- 1 ½ cups Water (adjust as needed, you can use ¼ cup more)
- 1 ½ ginger-garlic paste
- 2 green chillies, slit
- ½ cup of chopped carrots
- ½ cup of frozen or fresh green peas
- 2 tbsp. oil, Ghee or butter
- Salt as needed
Spices
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cardamoms
- 6 cloves
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
- Few pepper corn
- ½ tsp cumin / jeera
Optional for garnish
- Few cashews
- Few tbsp. Grated coconut
Method
- Wash and soak rice for about 30 minutes.
- Add ghee to a pan or pot, fry the grated coconut till it turns slightly brown. Add cashews and fry. Set these aside. This step is optional.
- To the same pan, add spices and fry till they turn fragrant. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry until it smells fragrant. Add slit green chillies, chopped vegetables and fry to remove the raw smells. One to two minutes would be enough.
- Add the coconut milk along with the water (mix with 1½ cups of water) and add salt. Ensure that the water added suits the quality of the rice used.
- When the milk begins to boil, add rice and stir
- Cover and cook on a medium flame. Cook till the rice is fully cooked. Little water can be sprinkled if rice is still not cooked well.
- Garnish coconut milk rice with roasted coconut and cashews.
Coconut Rice