Conquering Coconut Rice

The thought of rice infused with coconut goodness makes me swoon. Over the years, I’ve seen it on Southeast Asian restaurant menus and read recipes and tried recipes for it. But the rice has always turned out either gummy and more importantly, not very coconutty.

For the most part, I’ve tried blending different proportions of water and coconut milk and never got a satisfactory result -- one that I would proudly serve my family and friends. My all-time favorite Vietnamese cookbook – Lam Bep Gioi by Mrs. Van Dai (sort of the Julia Child of Vietnam in the 1940s) calls for cooking the rice as normal and then stirring in a couple tablespoons of coconut milk at the end. That didn’t work, my friends.

The other day I found a solution. Not using coconut milk. Well, not using it straight.

I was developing a recipe that required a ton of coconut cream and was skimming off the thick cream from many cans of coconut milk (Chaokoh and Mae Ploy brand). The opaque liquid below is a ‘skim’ version of coconut milk. I had a few cups worth and given my immigrant/refugee ways, I couldn’t throw it out.

It sat in the fridge for days, and suddenly it dawned upon me that the stuff is just like water and I started using it that way. Most times when you use coconut milk, you blend it with some water. So I used the skim milk instead of water to boost the coconut presence in my dishes. Curries were extra lovely. With plenty leftover, I used it to cook a pot of rice and lo and behold, there was a wonderful, delicate coconut quality in every grain.

If you think of it, a resourceful Viet cook would extract the first pressing of coconut milk (nuoc cot) and then add more water for a second, ultra-skim version (nuoc nhi) that could be used in lieu of water. Same thing here but I was using canned coconut milk instead of making it from scratch.

To make coconut rice, use long-grain rice (I’m a Jasmine rice fan) and this proportion of rice to liquid:

1 cup long-grain rice
1 1/4 cups skim coconut milk (decrease the water slightly for ‘new crop’ rice)

I cook rice in a pot. Rice cooker users, just use your regular measurements. Tips on obtaining the skim coconut milk:

• Select coconut milk without emulsifiers, let it doesn’t separate. Chaokoh and Mae Ploy, standard brands, are great. Any Tetra type boxed stuff is great too.
• Leave the coconut milk to sit overnight to allow a “plug” of thicker cream to form so you can spoon it out.
• If a little cream gets into the skim milk, that’s okay.

What to serve the coconut rice with? Any savory dish that already contains coconut (e.g., a curry with coconut milk, Vietnamese pork simmered in caramel sauce with coconut water) or something that you'd like to add extra tropical flair to.

Comments

[Wandering Chopsticks]

I use coconut powder, adding 1 to 3 tblsp per cup of water depending on how coconutty I want the rice. Cook the rice as usual in the rice cooker. When the rice has absorbed most of the liquid in the rice cooker, I give it a quick stir to make sure the coconut powder is evenly mixed. It's quick and easy, much easier than trying to figure out coconut milk proportions and all that. No gumminess either.

[Robyn]

Coconut rice for nasi lemak is often made with coconut water (or is it coconut juice?) - whatever you call the liquid in the coconut.

I love coconut rice with something tart and spicy, like a carrot and cabbage slaw (maybe with chicken added) mixed with a lime juice/sugar/fish sauce/fresh chopped chile dressing.

[Tam]

I like adding a little bit of sugar and salt to the rice as it's cooking to really bring out the coconut flavor. Topping the finished rice with toasted peanuts and sesame seeds, along with fried shallots, gives the dish a fun bit of crunch, too.

[Andrea Nguyen]

Wandering Chopsticks -- what brand of coconut powder do you use?

Robyn, I bet it's the skim stuff. Coconut juice doesn't have much richness.

Tam, I was thinking of adding a pinch of salt. Don't know about the sugar. But the fried shallots... that does sound lovely. I've got a jar of great stuff from Vietnam that a family friend gave me.

[Leslye Wood]

I use coconut juice with pulp. It comes in a can - the can is green but I don't remember the brand. I get it at the Asian grocery. The pulp is not what you would typically think of, like what you get in orange juice. It's just tiny pieces of coconut meat, which add a nice dimension to the finished rice dish.

[Quyen]

Thanks for the education. Coconut & rice is one of my fav. flavors.
I am with Tam, love it with a little salt and toasted peanuts. Reminds me of good memories of my youth.

[Melanie]

I don't really like rice-but I admire your recipe of pork made with coconut water--coconut water is so life giving and pure--I love coconuts-coconut cakes,coconut bread--coconut water--I love coconuts!and altho I don't like rice--coconut rice is very nice.