Restaurant Style Coconut Rice (Coconut Milk)
This is a recipe for exceptionally fluffy, coconut rice! No gluggy coconut milk scum left on the surface, each grain is clean and fluffy. The trick is to BAKE it rather than use the stove. No scorched pot, and the rice grains are evenly cooked!Make it Asian-restaurant style by adding pandan leaves OR kaffir lime leaves. Or finish with a sprinkle of toasted coconuts. Serve with: tropical, Caribbean, Indian and Asian foods. See recipe card below for stove-top COCONUT POWDER version (no rice rinse, no soak).
Ingredients
- 2 cupsjasmine rice ((note 1))
- 400 ml/ 14 oz coconut milk (, full fat or light (note 2))
- 1 cupwater
- 5 tspwhite sugar ((note 3))
- ½ tspcooking / kosher salt
- 1pandan leaves (, knotted)
- 2kaffir lime leaves (, crushed in hand)
- 1 tbspdesiccated coconut (, toasted, to garnish)
Directions
- 1
Rinse rice in water until the water runs pretty clear. (Note 1)
- 2
Soak & drain - Drain rice then soak in water for 1 hour. Then drain in a colander and leave to drain well for 5 minutes.
- 3
Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan).
- 4
Rice in pan - Place the rice in a 20cm / 8" square pan (metal or ceramic). Add pandam or kaffir, if using.
- 5
Heat coconut milk - Heat coconut milk, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar.
- 6
Bake 40 minutes - Working quickly (to minimise heat loss), pour hot liquid over rice, stir quickly to spread rice evenly. Cover with foil then bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
- 7
Rest 15 minutes - Remove the pan from the oven. Take a quick peek to ensure the liquid has been absorbed (tilt pan to check). There will be coconut cream on the surface - that's normal. Rest rice, covered, for 15 minutes. Do not shortcut this!
- 8
Fluff with rubber spatula. Garnish with toasted coconut, if using, then serve. Marvel at fluffy rice!