This Nigerian coconut rice recipe turns ordinary rice into an extraordinary, aromatic delight that's impossible to resist. Coconut Rice is one of my favorite rice recipes.
When I was a little girl, my mom would cook it during special events and occasions. And I was always so excited to eat it. Recently, I was craving it and decided to make it. And I’m so happy I did because it tastes soo yummy! I used some leftover coconut milk I had in my kitchen and surprisingly it turned out amazing!
Whenever my mom made her coconut rice, she will blend the coconut to extract the milky part of it before adding it to the rice. But I personally wasn’t interested in going through that hassle, so I decided to stick to regular store-bought coconut milk and it did a great job. I didn’t notice any difference at all. So if you’re wondering if you should buy some coconut to make this recipe, you don’t. Just purchase regular coconut milk from your store, and it would do just fine.
Spicy Twist and Crayfish Addition
For my recipe, I decided to add a variety of peppers. Because you all know how much I love spicy food. So I definitely made sure to throw in the good old habanero pepper. However, if spicy food is not your thing, then you can skip it. But in all honesty, the additional peppers do make this recipe taste BOMB (so I suggest giving it a shot).
I also added a bit of crayfish because crayfish literally makes every meal taste good, especially coconut rice. So if you have some in your kitchen cabinet, feel free to throw some in. You would be very glad you did.
Read also: Experience Fad's Fine African Cuisine
I have good news for all my lazy cooks out there. This recipe literally takes an hour to prepare, so if you dislike waiting, this recipe will make you happy.
Nigerian Coconut rice recipe/ Delicious Native Coconut rice
Let me know in the comments if you give this meal a try. I promise, it tastes sooo good and I’m so sure you all would love it as well.
Coconut Rice Recipe
- Course: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
- Servings: 2 people
- Calories: 1127kcal
- Author: Eleanor Henry
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp coconut oil - or any oil you prefer
- 1 red onion - diced
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp curry
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 stock cubes
- ⅛ cup crayfish - blended
- 3 habanero peppers - Diced with seed removed, use less or more depending on your spice preference
- 1 cup sweet peppers - chopped
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 ½ cup rice - I used long grain parboiled rice. Thoroughly washed
Instructions:
- In a medium-sized pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat.
- Add the diced red onion and sauté until it begins to lose its red color.
- To the sautéed onions, add the crayfish, peppers, curry, salt, oregano, stock cubes, habanero peppers, and sweet peppers. Stir this mixture for about 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Pour the coconut milk into the pot and stir well to combine with the spice mixture.
- Add the washed rice to the pot, stirring it into the mixture to ensure it's well-coated with the spices and coconut milk.
- Let the rice cook over medium heat for approximately 45 minutes, or until it's fully cooked and has absorbed all the flavors.
- Once the coconut rice is cooked to your satisfaction, serve hot and enjoy!
Easy Coconut Jollof Rice
A popular rice dish from West Africa, Easy Coconut Jollof Rice, is an amazingly delicious rice dish flavored with coconut milk, bay leaf, thyme, and bursting with tangy tomatoes! This rice dish is rich in flavor.
Simmered in coconut milk, with crunchy bell peppers, fried chicken seasoning cubes, and tomato puree, this creamy Jollof coconut rice is a wonderful treat! You can customize it to your taste!
Key Ingredients for Coconut Jollof Rice:
- White rice: I have used long-grain white rice for this easy coconut jollof rice recipe because it stays firm and maintains its shape. Basmati rice tends to become quite soft quickly, so it should be avoided.
- Tomato Puree/Paste: This adds a tangier flavor to this rice and gives the Jollof its notorious orange color.
- Chicken Stock: Makes protein-rich flavorful rice.
- Coconut oil: Coconut oil works best for this recipe as it intensifies the coconut flavors.
- Coconut Milk: Is the star ingredient of this jollof rice. I love the addition of thick coconut milk.
- Water: Around 2 cups of water is needed.
- Butter: Is added when the rice is almost done. It helps create soft and separated rice.
- Chicken Stock Seasoning Cubes: I have used Knorr cubes. It is a blend of flavors of chicken, onion and spices, these cubes are sure to enhance the aroma and taste of the rice.
- Thyme: Adds earthy and nutty flavor.
- Bayleaf: I have used dried bay leaves to make aromatic and flavorful rice. One large is sufficient for this recipe.
- Curry Powder: adds a spicy touch to this recipe.
- Salt: Table salt works well.
- Plum Tomatoes: are slightly sweeter and are perfect for pureeing. They add a nice red color to this rice. You may also use cherry tomatoes, canned tomatoes or tomato paste as well. Fresh Tomatoes work best, though.
- Scotch Bonnet: Add spicy depth to this rice dish.
- Onion: Adds mild sweet flavor and I have used white onions.
Take a Blender and add plum tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion and a scotch bonnet to it. Blend till the mixture is smooth. Keep it aside for later.
Read also: The Story Behind Cachapas
Steps to Make Coconut Jollof Rice:
- Heat coconut oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Then, add onions and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add tomato puree to the saucepan, then stir and cook it for one minute.
- Next, pour the blended tomato mixture into the saucepan. Then add chicken seasoning cubes, curry powder, thyme, bay leaf and salt to taste to the saucepan. Stir and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Pour coconut milk into the saucepan and stir.
- Add the rice to the saucepan then stir it until it is well combined with the sauce. Leave the rice to cook on low/medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Next, pour coconut water and water into the saucepan. Stir well and leave the coconut Jollof to cook for 10-15 minutes. Check and stir the rice every 5-7 minutes to prevent burning.
- Finally, add butter and leave to simmer on low for 2 more minutes or until done.
Rice: If your rice is hard, the grains are probably undercooked.
Coconut Rice
Coconut Rice - A simple yet flavorful rice side dish with milk from freshly grated coconut. Coconut is a huge part of African and Caribbean cooking. But we take most recipes over the top with fresh, mature coconuts. There might be a couple of standout brands for store-bought coconut milk, but nothing beats freshly squeezed coconut milk.
I take a shortcut using a high-power blender to grate the coconut. That saves me time, energy, and, most of all, my precious fingers. Buying fresh coconut can be a challenge here in the United States. Double-check your coconuts for mold or cracks. Shake and feel the coconut; it should be heavy. To be on the safe side, I buy more than I need.
Key Ingredients:
- Coconut Milk: gives the rice its beautiful nutty coconut flavor and aroma. Canned full-fat coconut milk or even lite coconut milk works in a pinch.
- Rice: Basmati rice makes this dish soft and fluffy, but jasmine or plain white rice also works well.
How to Extract Coconut Goodness:
- Crack Coconut: After getting the coconut water out, hit the middle of a coconut hard with the blunt side of a cleaver or hammer, just enough to crack it. Rotate the coconut, continuing to hit it at the center with the hammer or cleaver until it splits in two.
- Extract Coconut Meat: Bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes at 375℉ (190℃) to make removing the flesh from the shell easier. Let it cool, then remove the coconut from the shell with a spoon.
- Coconut Milk: Blend coconut in a blender (Blendtec or Vitamix gets the most milk out of a coconut) on high until it reaches a fine puree. Strain the coconut mixture with cheesecloth. Squeeze tightly to extract all the milk.
- Rice: Place rice in a saucepan with water. Rinse well and strain.
- Cook: Add coconut milk, water, and salt. Place the saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Stir, lower the heat to a simmer, and then cover the saucepan tightly with the lid. Continue cooking for 15-18 minutes.
- Serve: Take the saucepan off the heat and let it rest for about 10 minutes, covered. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
Variations:
- Coconut lime rice: Add lime zest and a squeeze or two of lime juice for a citrusy zing.
- Coconut curry rice.
- Coconut rice pudding: Add ¼ cup sugar and a cup of coconut milk to 1½ cups of leftover coconut rice (jasmine rice is better for this one). Simmer while stirring until the rice almost falls apart and the pudding thickens.
Tips and Tricks:
- Rice Cooker: To make super fast coconut rice in an Instant Pot, assemble all the ingredients and pressure cook it for 5 minutes.
- To easily remove the flesh of the coconut, heat the cracked coconut in an oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Rinse the rice well in cold water before cooking for fluffier rice.
- The water-to-rice ratio is 2 cups liquid to 1 cup rice.
For easy weekly meal prep, make a double or triple batch. Let the coconut rice cool and store it in meal-size portions in a freezer ziplock bag. Heat the rice on the stovetop over medium, adding a splash of water if necessary so it doesn’t dry out. It’s perfect with any Asian-style main dish! Some delicious choices include chicken stew, Asian cashew chicken, and teriyaki shrimp.
Basic Coconut Rice Recipe
This coconut rice recipe is an easy, delicious side dish! Enjoy the rich, fragrant rice plain, or season it with lime and cilantro for a punchier, fresher flavor.
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Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked long grain jasmine rice, rinsed
- 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- Optional additions: ½ teaspoon sea salt, Juice and zest of 1 lime, ½ cup chopped cilantro, Chopped cashews
Instructions:
- Combine the rice and coconut milk in a pot and bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- Use in your favorite recipe that calls for coconut rice, or stir in the salt, lime juice and zest, and cilantro. Season to taste. Sprinkle with cashews and serve as a side dish.
Tips for Perfect Coconut Rice
- Rinse the rice: This should be your first step whenever you cook rice - whether it’s plain white rice, brown rice, or black. It removes starches that can cause the rice to clump up as it cooks.
- Coconut milk separated? Don’t worry about it. When you open a can of coconut milk, you might not find a smooth, creamy milk inside. Instead, you’ll likely see a thick layer of solids on top of a watery liquid. That’s totally fine! Dump the separated coconut milk into your pot, and proceed with the recipe. The solids will melt down as the pot heats up.
- You can control the richness and flavor: My favorite method for how to make coconut rice is the one in the recipe below: I cook one cup of rice in one can of coconut milk. It yields very rich rice with a robust coconut flavor, which I absolutely love. But if you prefer lighter rice with a milder flavor, that works, too!
Serving Suggestions
The simplest way to enjoy this recipe is as a side dish. Before serving, I like to fluff the rice and toss it with sea salt, lime juice and zest, and chopped cilantro for extra flavor (it also tastes fantastic with the seasonings in this cilantro lime rice recipe). Pair it with any protein you like. We love it with this crispy sesame tofu.
This coconut rice is a great base for a rice bowl, too. Try using it in this vegan burrito bowl, this mango ginger rice bowl, or this tofu broccoli bowl. Or make your own bowl! Start with a scoop of the rice. A fruity salsa. A protein. Veggies. And a yummy sauce. Cilantro lime dressing or chipotle sauce would be fantastic.
