Coconut Jasmine Rice

Name: Coconut Jasmine Rice
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 2 cups jasmine rice; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1 15 oz. can coconut milk (unsweetened); 1 1/2 cups water; 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (unsweetened); cilantro or lime for serving (optional)

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Coconut Jasmine Rice | Easy side dish of jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk and topped with toasted coconut. This easy rice recipe is a perfect base for Thai curry dishes. Only 5 ingredients and less than 30 minutes to cook.

Here is a quick and easy coconut rice recipe that only takes a few more minutes than regular steamed rice. It's the perfect little side dish for a weeknight. I love this dish with lime chicken or lime and mint (mojito!) chicken, but especially with a really spicy curry.

For my coconut jasmine rice recipe, I use both a can of unsweetened coconut milk and toasted coconut flakes to give the rice coconut flavor.

Since I first posted this recipe I've started toasting the coconut in the pot at the beginning of the recipe and then cooking it right in the rice. This saves the extra step of toasting the coconut in the oven. I'll leave those original instructions below as well.

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Ingredients
Equipment
How To Make Coconut Jasmine Rice
Recipe

Ingredients

See the recipe card below for exact amounts.

jasmine rice - 2 cups of jasmine rice, this is pretty easy to find in most grocery stores.
unsweetened coconut milk - you'll need one 15 oz. can of coconut milk, I use full fat.
coconut flakes - I use unsweetened shredded coconut, which is cook in a small amount of brown sugar, to give the overall dish a touch of sweetness.
brown sugar + butter - cooking these both together at the start of the dish sets up a great flavor base for this jasmine rice recipe.

If you'd like to follow the original instructions, start off by toasting coconut. To toast the coconut, add it to a hot nonstick pan and heat, tossing or stirring until it's all golden brown. Remove from the hot pan and scatter it on a plate as soon as it's done to stop cooking.

I prefer this method over toasting it in the oven because I always forget it in the oven.

Continue with the recipe.

Equipment

I use my cast iron Dutch oven by Cuisinart for this and most other recipes that I make.

How To Make Coconut Jasmine Rice

Step 1. Heat a large pot over medium. I use my cast iron Dutch oven. Melt the butter and then add the sugar, coconut, and rice. Stir to coat the coconut and rice and cook for a minute or two to toast both the rice and the coconut.

Step 2. Add the water and the coconut milk, and then bring it to a boil. Add the lid, turn the heat down to low, and then simmer until cooked. About 18 minutes. Try not to peek, it will interrupt the rice steaming!

Step 3. When it's done, remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

To serve, just fluff the rice with a fork. I top mine with some cilantro and lime juice to freshen it up a bit.

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