Coconut Rice
This is a rice meal which has coconut milk as part of the major ingredients. It is creamy as it is flavorful. In this recipe, I made use of goat meat which is the traditional meat used to cook this meal in countries along the West African coast. It also has both dried and fresh prawns which adds to the depth of flavors. If you have never tried cooking coconut rice before, this is the perfect recipe for you to try out.
INGREDIENTS
(1) About 200 Grams of Goat Meat
(2) 1 Medium Onion (Chopped and Divided into 2 equal parts)
(3) 1 Scotch Bonnet (Optional)
(4) A Few Thyme Sprigs
(5) 1 Bouillon Cube
(6) 1 Bay Leaf
(7) Salt and Pepper to Taste
(8) 2 Cups of Long Grain Rice
(9) 1-1/2 Cups Coconut Milk (About 354 ml)
(10) 1-1/2 Cup Goat Meat Broth (Gotten after Boiling the Goat Meat. Feel free to use any broth you have if you are not using goat meat for this recipe)
(11) 1 Dozen Large Prawns
(12) 1 Tablespoon Ground Prawns or Crayfish
(13) 2 Teaspoons Vegetable Oil
(14) Mixture of vegetables (1/4 Cup Green Peas, 2 Sprigs Scallions (Green Onion), 1 Sweet Pepper) (These are optional but add color and flavor to the dish)
Coconut Milk
PROCEDURE:
A Quick Note: I have made use of canned coconut milk in this recipe. You can make your own coconut milk by grating coconut flesh and squeezing out the milk with the aid of some hot water. The canned coconut milk however does the job well. Before opening the can of coconut milk, shake it several times. This will help blend the milk together should in case the solids have separated from the liquid as is usually the case with canned coconut milk.
(1) Wash the rice and parboil it in 3 cups of water for 10 minutes to give it a head start. Rinse rice after parboiling. Drain and set aside.
(2) Cook the goat meat. While any type of meat can be used, this dish gets its peculiar flavor from goat meat. Boiling the meat also helps with producing the rich broth which is essential for this recipe. Boil goat meat with the bouillon cube, salt and pepper, scotch bonnet (if using), bay leaf, 1/2 of the chopped onions and a couple of thyme sprigs. Cook meat for about 30 minutes. Be careful not to add too much water as you want the broth to be rich. You will need 1-1/2 cups of broth for this recipe. This broth my friends is what I call liquid gold.
(3) Take meat out of broth when it s cooked and chop into smaller cubes. Set aside.
(4) Heat the oil in a pot. I prefer to use a non stick pot to prevent the rice from burning. Sauté the leftover onions along with 1 thyme sprig in the oil until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. A little oil is used here because the goat meat broth is going have some oil and the coconut milk is also very rich.
(5) Add the ground prawns and stir fry for about 30 seconds, just to bring out more of its flavor.
(6) Next, add the coconut milk and the broth (along with whatever bits present in the broth) to the pot and heat until it comes to a boil. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
(7) Add the rice and chopped meat, cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium and cook the rice for 15 minutes.
(8) Take lid off, add the mixed vegetables and prawns and cook for another 10 minutes. You can add a little bit of water if needed.Be careful not to add too much water or the rice will turn soggy.
(9) The rice should be ready after 10 minutes. If you are using a brand which takes longer time to cook, please do cook for a few minutes more.
Plate the rice and enjoy your meal…you deserve it.
Terry Adido is passionate about showing people how easy it is to recreate restaurant quality meals in the comfort of their kitchens. With a style of cooking he refers to as Afro-European Fusion, his meals are influenced greatly by French and Italian Cuisine with a West African twist. If you love good food, you are in for the ride of your life.
Terry you are great cook…. I’m making dis for lunch 2mrw but with chicken n sausages. Thanks
Thanks Dare. I trust you will enjoy it.
Terry Olorun o ni je ko pa mi(God will nt allow u kill me).u re 2 much man.thank God i am 1dafuly married i dn’t knw wot i wld’ve done.i’m rili hapi 4 ur wife though.i think i wil call dis coconut fried rice.u’re remain my best.
Thanks for the kind words. Much love.
As always Terry, you rock. I’m making this tomorrow for Sunday lunch. Does it need to go with tomato stew? Thanks
Thanks. No it can be eaten as it. But hey, if you want to eat it with some stew, please do.
Hey, I just realized I’m out of coconut milk but have coconut milk powder sachets. Can I substitute with them?
I have never used coconut milk powder before.
So, I used the powder and it came out great. Thumbs up! I also made jerk chicken but DH didn’t like the combination of spices. So my search continues for a great oven baked/roasted chicken recipe.
I am glad you loved it. I have a recipe for Fire in ya Wire (Spicy Jamaican Jerk Chicken). I will be posting it very soon. Watch out for that.
Tanx for reminding me the good old days wen mum will serve us this treat and refuse to give us whole fried red meat saying the color will spoil the broth,
You are welcome.
Thanks I’m doing this tomorrow with my coconut milk.
I trust you will love it.
really cool! Your meal just inspired me. I’d try it with ofada rice and see what that would give me (taste). Merci.
All the best trying.
Now I am so inspired. The coconut tree at the back of my house has a new use. Thanks.
You are welcome.
The powdered coconut milk work the same way I made my coconut rice with it yesterday and it came out awesome my pot was empty b4 I could say hack robinson
Thanks for the feedback. I’m glad it worked.
im inspired, I will make this for lunch tomorrow.thanks and keep the good work
I’m sure you will love it.
Terry man, u rock
Thank you.
Terry thanks for sharing dis recipe. will prepare it tommorrow for Easter with a little twist. Gracias.
You are welcome.
U r too much.thank u soo much.I ll make it for my husband tomorrow.
Thanks. I am sure he will love it.
Wow! Dis looks so beautiful, am cooking dis 4 my hubby’s bday n am sure his guest will go wow!..tnks terry u’re such a great Cook..well done
You are welcome. I am sure he would love it.
Oga Terrry.. i’ve archive d this Recipe..
That’s all
Nice one.
Hello sir,
I don’t understand the names of some ingredients like 1 Scotch Bonnet,1 Bouillon Cube, 1 Bay Leaf,1 Dozen Large Prawn and 2 Sprigs Scallions pls put me through.
Hi. Scotch bonnet is chili pepper. Bouillon cube is seasoning cube like Maggi or knorr. Bay leaf is a type of herb. Prawn is a type of seafood like shrimps. Scallions is green onions.
Thank you sir.
You are welcome
kickstarting my monday with this… tho a little twist here and there.. would add lettuce and red kidney beans for added fibre and protein.. i hope the small prawns you’re referring to here is not crayfish? thanks for the recipe
You are welcome. I hope you enjoyed it.
Nice.
Impressive, I must say. A friend of mine prepared this meal and recommended your website. Trying it later today. Wish me luck.
Thanks. You will love it.
Thanks Terry. Off to the store. Preparing this today. Thank you plenty much
You are welcome.
wow, terry!!! i made this coconut rice for my family and friends on Christmas day, it was great and damn gooooood. everyone loved and it was a hit. takeaway galore.Thanks, you are the best.
Ah Yewande,that’s awesome. Thanks for sharing.
The coconut rice I know b4 is different 2 dis. I think ur own is d best, I’ll try it pretty soon. Thanks God bless you.
Thanks Sola. Do try it out.
well done terry. pls i need recipe for salad
Thanks. You can find several recipes here.
my coconut rice practical was spoilt by my catering sch teacher which makes me sad anytime I remember the scenario but I’m glad I’ve gotten a very nice recipe whose process is clearly stated. Thanks Terry for this
You are welcome Yetunde. I trust you will have a lovely experience with this recipe.
Terry!!!! I made this just now, replaced goat meat with beef and thyme twigs with dry thyme and believe me it’s the bomb… Up next fried rice.. Awesome recipe. Everything was just right.
That’s awesome Yinka!
Will try this with a twist
Awesome. Please share your twist with us when you execute it.