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Coconut rice is a popular dish of South India which is made with boiled Basmati rice and freshly grated coconut. The rice gets its aroma from its preparation with a special combination which uses mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, dry red chilies, curry leaves, cashew nuts, green chilies and ginger. The dish contains hing and sugar which improve the flavor while chopped coriander leaves provide a fresh taste at the end. You can learn how to prepare coconut rice at home by following my easy cooking instructions.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Coconut rice is a popular South Indian dish often prepared at home and during festivals in India.
Serve it with curd, pickle, papad, or a simple vegetable curry for a complete meal.
Coconut rice has a mildly sweet, nutty, and earthy taste.
Other similar recipes are lemon rice, tamarind rice, and curd rice.

The Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati rice (boiled)
¾ cup coconut (grated)
2 tbsp cooking oil
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp chana dal
2 pieces dry red chilies
1 tsp urad dal
10 pieces cashew nuts (roughly chopped)
2 pinches asafetida (hing)
10 pieces curry leaves
1 piece green chili (finely chopped)
1 piece ginger (½ inch, finely chopped)
½ tsp sugar
Salt according to taste
1 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Sometime back I attended a lady’s get-together at one of my neighbor’s places. She actually hailed from South India and had offered this unique rice to us. The taste and flavor of the dish made me ask for the recipe from her and she obliged happily. I noted every detail down in my memory first and then in my notebook.

The following weekend, I prepared it for my husband and two sons. The coconut rice was perfectly aromatic, soft and really nice. My husband liked the simplicity and enjoyed its plain flavor while the kids liked it so much that they asked for seconds. The sight of them enjoying the meal gave me a great feeling of happiness and satisfaction. I think it was just great and I was so lucky to have stumbled upon this simple recipe which is very delicious.

How to Make Coconut Rice? (Step by Step Guide with Images)

Step 1: Fry ½ tsp of mustard, ½ tsp of chana dal, and 2 pieces of dry red chilies in 2 tbsp of cooking oil over a medium heat for a few seconds in a pan. Then add 1 tsp of urad dal and 10 pieces of roughly chopped cashew nuts to it and fry for a few seconds more. Now add 2 pinches of asafetida (hing), 10 pieces of curry leaves, one finely chopped green chili, and 1 piece of ginger (½ inch, finely chopped) and fry again for a few seconds more.

Step 2: Now, add ¾ cup of grated coconut, ½ tsp of sugar, and salt according to taste. Mix well. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes over a medium flame. Then add 2 cups of boiled Basmati rice to it and mix nicely.

Step 3: Finally, add 1 tbsp of finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Cover and cook for about a minute over a medium flame. Switch off the flame after that.