Coconut Rice Recipe » Dassana’s Veg Recipes

The coconut tree is rightly referred to as the ‘tree of life,’ for the myriad methods every a part of the tree be used. Even when we take the fruit in itself, there’s a lot a coconut gives – the contemporary flesh, water, dried coconut and extra. This recipe is one such that makes use of the coconut in its hottest means. Coconut Rice is a light-weight, tasty, savory South Indian rice variant made with contemporary grated coconut, lentils, herbs and spices. This recipe is simple, but scrumptious and is vegan too. For a gluten free model, simply skip the asafoetida.

About Coconut Rice

This nutty and delicate rice-based dish is named Coconut Rice, additionally Thengai Sadam in Tamil language. The phrases ‘thengai’ means ‘coconut’ and ‘sadam’ denotes ‘rice.’

Coconut Rice is without doubt one of the staples in addition to favourite dishes within the South Indian areas of India. Pretty easy to make, this dish comes collectively by mixing sautéed or fried lentils, spices, herbs and contemporary grated coconut with cooked rice.

There are fairly quite a lot of variations of this Coconut Rice recipe in South Indian delicacies. My recipe model options freshly grated coconut, which can also be the star right here.

The lentils, cashews add a stunning crunch to the dish and a nutty taste. I embrace each pink chilies and inexperienced chilies for that little bit of smoky warmth within the rice.

This specific rice dish is made in the course of the South Indian festivals of Pongal and Navratri. In my many visits to totally different cities and cities in southern India, I largely visited locations of curiosity and lots of temples. In a few of the temples there, we had been served this Coconut Rice, Pongal in addition to Curd Rice.

For this recipe of Coconut Rice, when you already prep up by grating the coconut earlier, then the dish comes collectively shortly. No prizes for guessing, that the recipe tastes greatest with contemporary coconut. Nonetheless, when you don’t have it, then you may even put together this rice with frozen coconut.

One other variant of this Coconut Rice recipe is made with coconut milk and referred to as Thengai Paal Sadam in Tamil and Coconut Milk Rice in English. The distinction is that within the Coconut Milk Rice recipe, the rice grains are cooked in coconut milk, herbs and spices.

Together with the Coconut Rice, I usually make such easy rice variations after I need to cook dinner one thing simple. Some extra such hassle-free recipes that I like to make are Lemon Rice, Mango Rice and Tomato Rice.

Step-by-Step Information

The way to make Coconut Rice

Soak Rice and Lentils

1. Soak 1 cup common non-sticky Indian rice (like sona masuri, ponni, surti kolam, parmal rice) or basmati rice in sufficient water for 20 to half-hour.

2. Additionally, soak ½ tablespoon urad dal and ½ tablespoon chana dal in scorching water for 20 to half-hour. Later, drain the water very effectively and preserve the lentils apart.

Urad dal is husked and break up black gram. Chana dal is husked and break up bengal gram.

You may add the lentils with out soaking when making the dish. Nonetheless, soaking them, improves their texture and offers an excellent style to the rice.

Cook dinner Rice

3. After 20 to half-hour, drain all of the water from the rice. Add the rice grains along with 1.75 to 2 cups water in a 2-liter stovetop stress cooker

Stress cook dinner the rice on medium to medium-high warmth for two whistles or 5 to six minutes. When the stress settles down naturally within the cooker, open the lid and fluff the rice.

For a softer texture within the rice, stress cook dinner for 3 whistles. If you happen to wouldn’t have a stress cooker, cook dinner rice in a pot, pan or the On the spot Pot. I’ve listed the small print under.

1. Cooking in a pot or pan: Take the soaked rice and a couple of cups water in a pan. Cowl and simmer on low to medium-low warmth till rice grains are tender and the water has been absorbed. If a lot of the water has evaporated and the rice grains look undercooked, add just a few tablespoons of scorching water. Cowl and proceed to cook dinner rice.
2. Cooking in On the spot Pot: Switch the rice grains and 1.5 cups water within the On the spot Pot. Seal the lid and place the valve to sealing. Stress cook dinner on excessive stress for 4 to five minutes. When the cooking is full and also you hear the beep sound, wait for five minutes earlier than giving a fast stress launch. Open the lid and switch the rice to a tray or plate for cooling.

4. Take the rice on a plate/tray and permit to chill utterly. If there are lumps within the rice, then break the lumps as soon as the rice is cooled.

Fry Spices and Lentils

5. Warmth 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a pan. Decrease the warmth, add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and let it crackle.

It’s also possible to use sesame oil (not the Asian sesame oil which is toasted however the oil that’s constituted of uncooked sesame seeds a.ok.a gingelly oil) or another impartial tasting oil.

6. When the mustard seeds are crackling, add the strained chana dal and urad dal. Combine and fry on low warmth for a minute.

7. Add 2 tablespoons chopped cashews.

8. Stir and fry till the cashews flip golden. The lentils would additionally flip golden by then.

9. Add the under listed spices and herbs:

• 1 or 2 dried pink chilies (damaged and seeds eliminated)
• 10 to 12 curry leaves
• 1 or 2 chopped inexperienced chilies or ½ to 1 teaspoon, chopped
• 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing)

For a gluten-free rice, skip the asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida.

10. Stir and fry till the pink chillies change coloration. The curry leaves would additionally turn into crisp.

Add Coconut

11. Subsequent, add 1.5 cups tightly packed grated coconut.

Be sure that the coconut is finely grated and never chunky or having bigger shreds.

12. Mix and blend very effectively with the remainder of the fried spices and herbs.

13. Sauté the coconut on low warmth for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring usually. The coconut might be sautéed till it will get a creamish or a faint, pale beige coloration.

Make Coconut Rice

14. Lastly, add the steamed cooled rice and salt based on your style.

15. Combine the rice very effectively and switch off the warmth.

16. Serve Coconut Rice scorching or heat.

If you happen to like, you may garnish with chopped coriander leaves and drizzle with a little bit of ghee whereas serving. It’s also possible to select to drizzle some lemon juice on the rice whereas consuming.

Serving and Storing Strategies

You may serve Coconut Rice as is or pair with a gravy or curry like Vegetable Stew, Potato Roast, Vegetable Kurma, Cauliflower Kurma and even with plain do-it-yourself contemporary Curd.

Within the footage on this submit, I’ve served the Coconut Rice with a spicy South Indian Potato Kurma. I additionally prefer to pair this rice with the Kerala fashion Parippu Kari (moong lentils curry).

For a very flavorful and healthful meal, I like to recommend pairing a South Indian vegetable gravy or curry with the rice. Accompany some papadum (appalam), when you like.

Since this can be a coconut-based rice dish, it’s best had contemporary. I don’t suggest to retailer this Coconut Rice within the fridge, as then the possibilities of the coconut going rancid are very excessive. Furthermore, it’s best to eat rice when freshly cooked.

Skilled Ideas

1. Rice: Any short-grained or medium-grained rice works effectively on this recipe. However ensure that whichever rice you employ, it’s non-sticky. Aromatic basmati rice is one other choice to make this delish dish. Most non-sticky styles of Indian rice can be utilized right here.
2. Lumpy rice: In case your rice grains have cooked a tad extra and have turn into lumpy on cooling, don’t worry. Merely break the lumps within the cooked rice.
3. Coconut: I extremely suggest to incorporate contemporary grated coconut for the very best taste. Frozen coconut is the subsequent choice. Be sure that the frozen coconut smells good and isn’t rancid. Together with unsweetened desiccated coconut gained’t give a greater style as in comparison with the rice made with contemporary coconut.
4. Lentils: The fried toasty lentils add a nutty taste to the dish and impart a pleasant crunch. Skip them, if you don’t favor or wouldn’t have them in your kitchen.
5. Herbs: Curry leaves imparts loads of taste on this recipe. So, curry leaves are a vital ingredient and can’t be swapped or substituted with another herb or spice. If contemporary curry leaves should not accessible, use curry leaves powder. Add about ½ to 1 teaspoon of floor curry leaves powder.
6. Nuts: I like so as to add cashews, however you may swap it with peanuts. Skip these nuts, in case you are out of inventory or don’t have it at residence.

Extra Rice Recipes To Strive!

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This Coconut Rice recipe from the weblog archives first revealed in Jun 2015 has been republished and up to date on March 2023.