How to Make Coconut Rice in Nigeria

If you’re having coconut rice for the first time, you should be making it at home. Why? When done well, coconut rice serves you an explosion of tastes-sweet, salty, and umami, that fifth sense of deliciousness.

Coconut rice also offers a range of nutritional benefits largely leaning on coconut milk, the key ingredient in making this delicacy. For instance, coconut milk contains amino acids that convert to nitrous oxide in the body, dilating the blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. The milk also stores fat in the form of medium-chain trigylcerides (MCTs). These compounds introduce healthy fat to the body, regulate blood sugar levels, and can improve skin health by preventing skin dryness.

Regardless of your reason for having coconut rice — to boost your health or flavor your palate — we’ll show you an easy recipe to making coconut rice at home.

How to Make Coconut Rice

For an authentic, original taste, buy a coconut piece and extract the milk yourself, as against purchasing packaged coconut milk. However, if pressed for time, you can find coconut milk on PricePally and other online grocery stores.

Coconut Rice Ingredients

The main ingredients are parboiled rice and coconut milk. Your preference for spice and garnishing will influence the other ingredients you include in your recipe. A full list of ingredients looks like this:

• 2 cups of rice
• 1 medium coconut (or 1 can of coconut milk)
• 1-2 small onions (chopped or blended)
• 1 teaspoon ground crayfish (optional)
• 1 medium red bell pepper (chopped or blended)
• Scotch bonnet pepper (chopped or blended)
• 1-2 tomatoes (optional, chopped or blended)
• 1 medium carrot (chopped)
• Garlic (optional)
• 1 cup of diced chicken or beef (optional)
• Stockfish (optional)
• Stock cubes
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• Salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 cups of chicken broth

Making the Meal

• Crack and dehusk the coconut to get the fruit. Once you’ve removed the fruit, cut into smaller pieces and grate in a blender, adding one to two cups of water (depending on the quantity of coconut milk you’d like to use).
• Turn off the blender and pour out the blended coconut. Using a wire mesh or sieve, filter the coconut milk from the granules/residues. Set the milk aside.
• In a pot, add a few pieces of chicken, some salt, and a stock cube. Leave to boil for 30 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, remove and filter the chicken broth to remove particles.
• Rinse the rice and set it aside.
• If blending your pepper and onion, rinse and blend until you obtain a puree. Set aside.
• Heat vegetable oil in a pot and sauté the chopped onions, garlic (if using), stockfish(if using)  and diced chicken or beef (if using) until browned.
• Add the chopped carrots, the chopped or blended peppers, and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes.
• Pour in the coconut milk, broth, curry powder, ground crayfish (if using), stock cube, and salt.
• Add the rice, stir, and add a few cups of water, mindful not to add too much so the rice doesn’t become soggy. You can spread a layer of foil paper over the pot before covering to retain the variety of spices. Cover the pot.
• Cook on low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender.
• Once the rice is cooked, stir gently, then serve.

You can serve your coconut rice with grilled or fried chicken, to balance the nutritional value and ensure premium satisfaction.

(embed this YouTube video from Tspices kitchen: )

Frequently Asked Questions about Making Coconut Rice

How do I extract Coconut Milk?

To draw out the milk, you must remove the coconut flesh and blend with water. If you are unable to remove the coconut flesh, you can purchase already de-husked coconut from sellers and then blend the coconut. The fine mixture of blended coconut and water will yield the coconut milk you need.

Can I make Coconut Rice without Coconut Milk?

If for some reason you can’t access packaged coconut milk or extract this from coconut, you can still make coconut rice. When sauteing your ingredients, add a few spoons of coconut oil to infuse the coconut flavor. However, this may not deliver the precise delight that a well-made pot of coconut rice brings.

What are the necessary spices for Coconut Rice?

Coconut milk and rice form the base of the meal. Salt and stock cubes are necessary to add taste to the meal. Every other spice or seasoning—crayfish powder, garlic, suya spice, etc—depends on the preference of those eating the meal.

How long does leftover Coconut Rice last?

You can preserve coconut rice for up to four days if stored in a fridge. You can also place it in an airtight container and freeze it for up to one month, so you can revisit your meal and savour the flavour again.