Creamy Coconut Rice Recipe

If you want to know why it's a good idea to cook rice with coconut milk, first try the following: Cook up a pot of white rice, specifically jasmine rice, in nothing but water. Or hey, go ahead and add some salt and sugar during the cooking and a bit of chopped cilantro and lime juice at the end so you're sure to have a good comparison. Once the rice is cooked, take a few bites and make your tasting notes. Then, prepare this creamy coconut rice as laid out by chef and recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating. Go ahead, we'll wait!

Okay, all done with this recipe? Cool, now take a few bites and make your notes. So, which rice would you describe as "rather bland" and which would you call "rich, sweet, creamy, versatile, and overall amazing?" Our money is on the coconut rice here. And speaking of money, if you want an affordable way to create a base for a meal that will taste fancy and exotic, you searched in the right place. Looking for a perfect pairing? Brookes says, "I had mine with homemade chicken korma and it went great! With any kind of curry works."

All you really need to make a great pot of rice with enough for six servings are five basic ingredients: 1 ½ cups of jasmine rice, 1 (14-ounce) can of coconut milk plus an extra ½ cup to stir in at the end, 1 ½ cups of water, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of sugar. That said, to serve this dish up right, you'll want to have about 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro and a squirt of lime juice for each serving, too.

The rich, complex taste of the finished rice here 100% belies the absolute simplicity of the prep. All you really need to do once you have your ingredients measured out is to add them all (except for that extra ½ cup of coconut milk and the suggested cilantro and lime juice) to a large saucepan. Stir everything together, then heat the contents at a medium setting. Once the rice is boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer. Now, simply leave the rice to cook covered for about 15 to 20 minutes until it becomes tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Guess what? Your work is already pretty much done here. Now all you need to do is remove the pan from the heat and pour in the extra ½ cup of coconut milk, stirring to combine it through. Then, ideally, you'll serve this rice with fresh chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice — those are optional, but highly recommended. Just note that as with most recipes that use coconut milk, this won't keep long. Brookes says, "You can store it covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours."

As it turns out, including coconut milk in this rice adds more than just a great taste, though you'd be well-advised to do so even if it were just for the flavor. According to Healthline, coconut milk, which is a blend of pureed coconut flesh and water, is a great source of vitamins and minerals like iron, potassium, copper, manganese, and vitamin C. It's also loaded with the healthy fats you need, and it may even lower bad cholesterol levels.