10-minute coconut milk rice recipe: Quick, creamy, and delicious

No time to cook? No worries! Whip up this delicious coconut milk rice in just 10 minutes. Perfect for lunchboxes and a healthy choice too.

Coconut milk rice is a popular dish in South India, especially Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It's flavorful, simple, and nutritious, cooked in coconut milk with mild spices, giving it a unique aroma and taste. Enjoy it on its own or with various curries.

Ingredients:

Rice: 2 cups

Coconut: 1 whole

Large Onion: 1

Green Chilies: 2-3

Ginger-Garlic Paste: 1 tsp

Cinnamon: 1 inch - 2 pieces

Cloves: 3-4

Cardamom: 2-3

Bay Leaf: 1

Cashews: 10-15 (optional)

Ghee: 2-3 tsp

Oil: 1 tsp

Curry Leaves: a sprig

Coriander Leaves: some

Salt: to taste

Mint Leaves: a handful

Instructions:

Wash the rice thoroughly and soak it in water for at least 20-30 minutes. Drain the water.

Chop the coconut into small pieces and grind it in a mixer with about 1 cup of lukewarm water. Extract the first coconut milk (thick milk) by squeezing the ground coconut through a thin cloth or strainer. Grind the remaining coconut again with 1-1.5 cups of water to extract the second coconut milk (thin milk).

Heat ghee and oil in a cooker. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and bay leaf. Sauté until fragrant. Add chopped onion and green chilies, and sauté until the onion turns golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Add curry leaves and mint leaves, sauté for a minute.

Add the soaked rice and gently stir without breaking the grains. Add salt and both the first and second coconut milk. Stir well, check the salt, and close the cooker. Cook on medium heat for 1 or 2 whistles. Once the pressure releases, open the cooker and gently fluff the rice with a fork.

Serving:

Roast cashews until golden brown and add them to the rice. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. The fragrant coconut milk rice is ready.

Additional Tips:

Ponni or Basmati rice works well. You can also use Seeraga Samba rice.

Optionally, add finely chopped vegetables like carrots, beans, and peas along with the onions. This makes the coconut milk rice even more nutritious.

Coconut milk rice tastes great with tomato kurma, vegetable kurma, eggplant curry, or chicken kurma.

Do not overcook the rice. The right amount of water and the correct number of whistles are important. Simmer for 5-7 minutes after the steam comes out of the cooker for fluffy rice.