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Coconut Rice Recipe

Coconut Rice
Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Alvina Mangrai’s Burmese prawn curry was the recipe featured in our first ever Cooking with Grandma video. In the video, Alvina shows her granddaughter Alyssa how to make the curry that she first learned to make when she was pregnant and living in the United States after moving from Burma. To accompany the curry, she suggests making this coconut rice. Pat Tanumihardja, author of the blog The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook, transcribed the recipe and shared it with CHOW. She’ll also include it in her book, due out in either late 2009 or early 2010.

Game plan: To make perfect rice every time, Alvina suggests sticking your middle finger into the pot and letting it sit gently on top of the leveled rice; the liquid should come up to just below the second joint. This measurement seems to work regardless of finger size, the amount of rice, or how big your pot is!

Photograph by Michael Skrzypek

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 3 cups jasmine rice or any other long-grain rice, washed
  • 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
  • 2 1/2 cups water, or as necessary (see “Game plan” above)
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Fried shallots for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. In a large pot with a tightfitting lid, heat the oil over medium heat until it starts to shimmer. Add the onion and stir and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat evenly with oil.
  2. Stir the coconut milk and pour it into the pot, followed by the water, salt, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.
  3. Turn off the heat and let the rice rest on the stove, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. When ready to serve, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork or chopsticks. Garnish with fried shallots.
    Write a review | 6 Reviews
  • Coconut Rice Recipe
    4

    This looks good. I'll use my rice cooker to make this, as I can open it and stir if needed. I don't like cooking rice in a pot if I don't have to. Like the poster below, I am always worried about burning rice on the bottom of a pan which won't happen in a rice cooker. I'll try this tomorrow night.

  • Coconut Rice Recipe
    4

    Hmmm, a very nice recipe. It is similar to how I cook rice; coconut or not. I make rice pilaf or pilau a lot. I seldom use as much rice. A lot will depend on whether it is for a large group or for storage after cooking? For a nice 4 person amount I use 1c. of rice washed, but not too much. I also use whole cumin and mustard seed, which i put into oil as it heats, when the cumin and mustard start to crackle and pop. In goes the onion and for me, any other veggies and nuts one by one; lastly the rice, once everything is nicely cooked. I also like to use other spices such as fenugreek and cardamom with chopped chilli pepper and garlic chopped fine in a little salt. Turning the heat down to prevent burning the rice in oil. The object is to cook rice in oil until translucent. This takes about five mins. Then adding cooking liquid, coconut milk - I use the same size can of milk in just 1c. of rice plus some more liquid enough to cover rice to a depth of about one small finger, above rice. My liquid is usually water, plus fish sauce to taste. About 1 or 2 tsp. When the liquid is in, [ 1 3/4c for white 2c for brown]before bringing up to temp. The opportunity exists to add a handful of peas or maybe raisins? Bring it up to boiling point, moderately, before adding the saucepan lid. Once the liquid makes fish-eyes, cover with lid and reduce heat to absolute minimum for 27mins for unbleached long-grain - Like Alvina, I like Jasmine rice too. Or an hour for brown long-grain. With the lid on and absolute minimum heat under. Should produce a good finish without burning. Also, important is at the end of cooking time, DO NOT take lid off, but leave for steam to loosen the rice from bottom of pot, not on heat source. But hey, I'm sorry to Grandma Alvina! For spoiling a good authentic coconut rice recipe. Just throwing in my 2 cents worth for people having a problem with this rice recipe. More people, should try rice from scratch? Simple and delicious. Thanks once more to Grandma Alvina, for some great recipes. I shall look for more of them! -Cheers!

  • @BigBurke. Making rice in a pot on the stove will leave a crust of cooked rice on the bottom of the pot. You can avoid it by using a nonstick pan. Or you can do what my Chinese family does by returning the pan to high heat (after scooping off the fluffy cooked rice) to further scorch the crust so that the underside is medium brown. Remove from heat, scrape off the crust and eat as a crunchy after-dinner snack.

  • I've made this recipe to a T, twice. Both times the bottom of the pan is covered in scorched rice. What am I doing wrong? Does this happen to other folks?

  • We did not eat much rice when I was growing up so I never really learned how to cook it. This method, however worked great. My wife who is first generation Bajan found it very odd that I was putting the rice in before the water, but it works just as well as her method if not better if you ask me. The coconut rice went over very well with a beef curry that I made. It helped take the edge off for the kids. Thanks a bunch.

  • That's the first way i learned to cook rice as a little girl from my Great grandma, it always works.

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