Coconut rice is a dish prepared by cooking white rice in coconut milk or Coconut.
Southeast Asia
Indonesia
Rice cooked in coconut milk is common in Indonesian cuisine, with each region having developed their own version of it. Plain coconut rice is usually made from
white rice, coconut milk,
ginger,
fenugreek seed,
lemongrass and pandan leaves, with the most common coconut rice recipe in Indonesia being
nasi uduk from Jakarta.
Other coconut milk rice recipes include
nasi gurih from
Aceh and
Javanese cuisine nasi liwet.
is Indonesian yellow rice which is similar to coconut rice with addition of
turmeric as a coloring and flavoring agent. Other types of coconut rice recipes take the form of
Dumpling, such as
burasa from Makassar and
lemang popular in
Padang food.
Malaysia
Nasi lemak (coconut milk and pandan leaf) is the most popular coconut rice recipe in
Malaysia. It is considered a
national dish of Malaysia.
Myanmar
In
Burmese cuisine,
ohn htamin (အုန်းထမင်း), as rice cooked with coconut milk is called, is a ceremonial
staple food, often eaten in lieu of plain white rice.
In the most basic version of
ohn htamin, rice is cooked with a base of coconut milk, along with fried shallots and salt, adding to the rice's savory and rich flavours.
is commonly paired with
Burmese curry.
Thailand
In
Thai cuisine, sweet coconut sticky rice is very popular as a dessert or sweet snack. It is made with
glutinous rice, coconut milk, sugar, salt and water and most famously paired with slices of ripe
mango and an additional dollop of coconut cream. Outside of the
mango season, it will also be eaten with other fruits or semi-sweet dishes.
Other popular coconut rice desserts are
khao tom mat, where sweet
banana is steamed inside sticky rice while wrapped in a banana leaf,
khao lam, where the rice and coconut milk mixture is steamed inside a section of bamboo, and
khao niao kaeo, a very sweet dessert of glutinous rice, coconut milk, and large amounts of
sugar, and most often pink or green in color.
Indian subcontinent
India
In India, coconut rice (కొబ్బరి అన్నం Telugu, ಕಾಯಿ ಅನ್ನ in Kannada, தேங்காய் சாதம் in Tamil.) famous in the southern regions. In India, coconut rice usually made from
basmati rice with mild coconut flavours acquired from coconut milk, and commonly served with
Curry.
It is made with coconut flakes (or grated or desiccated/dry coconut). One way to make this dish is to make the rice separately (preferably using a rice variety which is light and fluffy when cooked) and then mixing it with the coconut mixture (coconut flakes toasted in sesame/coconut oil and spiced with paprika, nuts, curry powder/leaves, and other spices).
Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, coconut rice is often referred to as "milk rice" or
kiribath. It is widely served across the nation on special occasions. It is accompanied by
lunu miris, a spicy onion
sambol ground with red chilli, onions, tomato, lime and salt with umbalakada.
Latin America
Colombia and Panama
On the
Caribbean coast of
Colombia and Panama,
arroz con coco is a typical side dish for fish. It is made with
white rice cooked in a base of
coconut milk and combined with shredded coconut meat, water, salt, raisins (optional), and sugar.
Honduras
In the
Caribbean coast of
Honduras, rice is traditionally cooked with
coconut oil,
coconut milk,
garlic,
Onion and red or black beans, a hearty dish known as "
rice and
Bean". This plate is especially popular among Hondurans of African ancestry (
Garifuna), but like many other Garifuna plates and foods with African influence, it is popular among all Hondurans and regarded as a typical Honduran food by Hondurans of all racial backgrounds.
Puerto Rico
In Puerto Rico coconut rice is usually served with
fish and sweet plantains. The rice is sautéed with coconut oil and salt, shredded coconut and coconut milk are then added with the option of garlic, onions, cilantro, raisins, and
kumquats. The rice is then covered with a
banana leaf during the cooking process. Another popular coconut rice dish is
rice pudding (coconut rice pudding) a dessert made with
milk, coconut milk,
coconut cream,
Raisin, vanilla, rum, sugar, ginger, and spice. Puerto Rican
rice pudding is popular in Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela.
Oceania
Samoa
In Samoa, coconut rice is known as
Alaisa fa'apopo and is made by cooking white rice in coconut milk. A variation of coconut rice known as
Koko alaisa is made with the addition of
Cocoa solids and orange leaves, often eaten as a snack or dessert. Coconut rice is typically eaten on its own or as an accompaniment to dishes such as
Moa fa'asaina.
See also
