Coconut rice recipe – Coconut rice is a easy and flavorful rice dish made using fresh grated coconut, tempering spices and rice. It is one of the most basic South Indian foods made for a meal during festivals and occasions. The aroma & taste of this simple coconut rice comes from the key ingredients like curry leaves, fresh coconut, ginger and hing. Thengai sadam and kobbari annam are the other south Indian regional names of coconut rice.
It can be served without any side or accompaniment. However any curry goes really well with this coconut rice. Vegetable kurma or Mix veg curry, some papad, veg salad & plain yogurt will make a complete meal. Making coconut rice is one of the easiest if you have some precooked rice and fresh grated coconut.
Coconut rice is made in 2 ways. The other version is to use coconut milk & mild spices. You can find that version here – Coconut milk rice.
More Coconut Recipes
Coconut milk rice
Coconut chutney
Easy Coconut ladoo
Coconut burfi
I mostly make this for the kids lunch box and pack with sliced carrots and cucumbers. Kurma curries like potato kurma, paneer kurma, soya chunks kurma go well with coconut rice.
The recipe shared here is a simple one made with basic ingredients. Sometimes I also like adding a handful of grated carrot or little grated raw mango or a tbsp of lemon juice, mint leaves or coriander leaves.
More Rice recipes
Lemon rice
Ven pongal
Curd rice
Ghee rice
Peanut rice
Coconut rice recipe
Coconut rice
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for coconut rice
- 1 cup rice (any kind of rice)
- 1 to 1½ cup coconut grated (fresh or frozen) (adjust to suit your taste)
- salt as needed
- 1 to 2 green chili (slit or chopped)
- 1 red chili broken (optional)
- 1 to 2 tbsp oil or ghee
- ½ tsp mustard or rai
- ½ tsp cumin or jeera (optional)
- 1 pinch hing or asafoetida
- 1 tbsp chana dal
- ½ tbsp urad dal
- 1 tsp ginger chopped
- 12 to 15 cashewnuts or peanuts as needed
How to make the recipe
Preparation for coconut rice
- Wash rice at least thrice and soak it for 20 to 30 mins.
- Drain it after 30 mins and either cook in a pot of boiling water or pressure cook for 2 whistles if using ponni or masuri rice. if using basmati rice then cook just for 1 whistle. The rice must be grainy and not mushy.
- When the pressure goes off, fluff up the rice with a fork and cool completely.
- Optional – You can also soak the chana dal and urad dal for 30 mins in little hot water. This helps the dal from turning hard when added to the tempering. Drain them completely and use.
- You can use either freshly grated coconut or frozen one. You can use more or less as desired.
Making coconut rice
- Heat ghee or oil in a pan, add mustard, dals and cashews. When the dal turns golden, add ginger, green chili, curry leaves and red chili. Sprinkle hing.
- Add coconut and sprinkle salt on it. Then add rice. Off the heat. Stir everything well. Coconut can also be fried first and then rice added.
- Serve coconut rice with a simple curry or yogurt.
NUTRITION
Preparation for coconut rice
You can skip the preparation section if you have precooked and cooled rice that is grainy. I have shown below how to cook it perfectly to make coconut rice.
1. You can use any kind of rice. Usually in south India ponni or sona masuri is used.
2. Cook the rice in what ever way you like. I usually wash rice thrice and then soak for sometime.
3. Drain the water and cook al dente. Rice must be fully cooked but firm and grainy.
4. You can also pressure cook in your preferred method. I pressure cook for 2 whistles if using ponni or sona masuri aged rice. If using basmati then i cook in a pot, then drain off the water.
5. Once fully cooked, fluff it up with a fork and cool completely.
How to make coconut rice
6. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard, cumin, chana dal, urad dal, peanuts or cashews and red chilli. When the cashews or peanuts are golden, then add in curry leaves, green chilies and ginger.
7. On a low flame fry until the leaves turn crisp, then add hing. I had some bits of coconut left over, I chopped it and added as well. I fried until it turned aromatic and golden.
8. Add coconut and rice. Sprinkle salt and mix. If you like fried coconut, you can fry the coconut first till it begins to smell good. Then add rice and salt. We do not prefer to fry the coconut as the heat in the pan is good enough to partially warm it up.
9. Switch off the stove immediately and mix everything well.
Serve coconut rice with a simple curry or yogurt and a veg salad.
Saranya says
Very good, my daughter is loving it…,
swasthi says
Thanks Saranya!
Mirella says
Amazing dish !!! I don’t use all the ingredients but it’s a big hit with the kids
swasthi says
Thank you Mirella
Glad to know the kids liked it.
🙂
DS says
So simple and delicious
Vijayalakshmi says
Wow madam today i prepared it was very tasty and simple
swasthi says
Hi Vijaylakshmi
Glad to know it came out well. Thank you
Vijayalakshmi says
Wow madam today i prepared it was very tasty and so simple
ramya says
How to cook basmathi rice for biriyani with measurements
comfort nwadiuche says
Beautiful
Bob Davis says
I doubled the recipe and omitted the green chili, since I didn’t have any. It was fantastic. Served with Navratan Korma.
Big hit. Thank you!
swasthi says
Welcome Bob Davis
Thanks for trying. Glad to know it turned out good.
Sahana says
Hearty thanks..yummy foody!!!!
swasthi says
welcome Sahana
Suvi says
Yummy with your chicken curry. Made it today. Thank you
swasthi says
Welcome Suvi
Happy to know you liked it. Appreciate your feedback
chirin says
Coconut rice is very testy.
swasthi says
Thank you
Ana says
can everybody eat carrot rice.
swasthi says
Yes, every one can eat. Just add more green chilies
Meera says
Love. This very tasty
swasthi says
thanks
Neeru says
Delicious and simple full of coconut flavor. Thanks
swasthi says
Welcome Neeru
Thanks for the feedback
mona says
Love all ur recipes. Thanks made this rice with chicken curry. Awesome
swasthi says
welcome Mona
happy to know you liked it.
Thanks for the feedback
Hansa says
So simple and tasty
swasthi says
Thanks Hansa
shalu says
Tasty rice love this with your chicken curry
swasthi says
Thanks Shalu for the feedback. I am happy to know you liked them
Hema says
Super recipes
swasthi says
Thanks Hema
mrunalini says
Never new that coconut rice can be made this easily .. 🙂
Yummy…. and damn easy….
Love ur recipes…
swasthi says
Thanks Mrunalini,
i am glad you like it. Have a wonderful day
bajoriya says
2:1(coconut milk : rice ) with simple cooking gives good taste and smell swathi and rice too normal cooking rice, if needed we fry curry leaves before cooking rice .
swasthi says
bajoriya,
this is a simple coconut rice without using coconut milk, the one you mentioned is a coconut milk rice and is already posted on a different link titled “COCONUT MILK RICE” .
There are so many ways coconut rice can be made. Nice to know your version as well. Thanks for the share
🙂
veena says
simple yet flavourful rice
Shoba says
Yummy rice so simple easy