Coconut Rice (for people who hate coconut!)

I’m not a  coconut enthusiast and give most recipes that include coconut a quick pass. So how did I wind up with 4 cans of coconut milk in my pantry? I’m not really sure. However this recipe for coconut rice published by Tejal Rao in the New York Times makes milky, white, fluffy rice with just a hint of sweetness and no discernible coconut flavor. It’s as easy to make as plain rice but richer and mellower in flavor. It’s the perfect accompaniment to any savory dish but if you spoon it up all by itself, I won’t tell.

Coconut Rice (for people who hate coconut!)

The foundation of successful rice is a rinse. Rinsing dry rice gets rid of the extra starch all over the surface of its grains, which can cause the rice to stick or clump. To rinse the rice, pour out the measured rice into a bowl, cover the rice with cold water and swish it with your fingers. Tip out the starchy water and repeat until the water is almost clear.
After cooking, allow the rice to rest for 10-15 minutes before stirring. During this rest period the starches cool slightly and firm up. After 10 to 15 minutes, use a flexible rubber spatula to fluff the cooked rice, stirring it gently without squishing it.
This recipe works best with jasmine rice, available in most grocery stores in the rice aisle. Other rice can have too much starch and become gluey and too sticky, whereas jasmine has the perfect grain and size for this recipe and produces fluffy rice every time. For the most flavorful results, use full-fat canned coconut milk.

Assemble your ingredients. Use full-fat coconut milk with no added sugar. Measure out the rice, cover it with cool water and swish the rice with your fingers. As the starch releases, the water will become cloudy. Drain off the water and rinse the rice again. Repeat until the water is almost clear. This may take 5 rinses.

Place the rinsed rice in a sauce pan. Add a single 400 ml can of full-fat coconut milk and an equal amount of water. Add the sugar and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the pot with a lid and turn the heat down to low. Allow the rice to cook until all the liquid is absorbed. This should take 15 minutes or less. Remove the rice from the heat, take off the pot lid and cover the pot with a towel. Replace the lid and let the rice rest for 10-15 minutes. Remove the towel and lid and stir the rice gently with a flexible spatula to fluff. Add salt to taste.

Print Recipe

Coconut Rice (for people who hate coconut!)

Vegetables and Sides

By Tejal Rao, New York Times – Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 15 minutes – Total Time: 25 minutes

Milky, white, fluffy rice with just a hint of sweetness.

Ingredients

• 2 cups long-grain white rice, such as jasmine
• 1 1/2 cups full-fat coconut milk (400 ml can), with no added sugar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 1/2 cups water

Instructions

1

Measure out the rice, cover it with cool water and swish the rice with your fingers. Drain off the water and rinse the rice again. Repeat until the water is almost clear. This may take 5 rinses.

2

Place the rinsed rice in a sauce pan. Add the coconut milk and water. Add the sugar and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the pot with a lid and turn the heat down to low. Allow the rice to cook until all the liquid is absorbed. This should take 15 minutes or less.

3

Remove the rice from the heat, take off the pot lid and cover the pot with a towel. Replace the lid and let the rice rest for 10-15 minutes. Remove the towel and lid and stir the rice gently with a flexible spatula to fluff. Add salt to taste.