There’s a lot to love about Coconut Rice, a staple of South Indian cuisine. It’s savory and nutty and it has the delicious and sweet wholesomeness of coconut, a food that’s liberally eaten along Indian’s coastal regions and especially Tamil Nadu where this dish goes by the name of Thengai Saadam. This is everyday food; food that you, if you lived in South India, might make for your family on a busy day or for a picnic and serve up with pickle and a poppadum on the side. (Other popular “prepared rice” varieties include lemon rice, tomato rice and eggplant rice (vangi bath)) But vangi bath is also special-occasion food, because it is served as one of the courses at a Tamil wedding. It’s easy to see why Coconut Rice is so versatile. It’s delicious, and it’s rather easy to make. And it’s healthy as anything.
How to make coconut rice
Cook your rice first, and make sure you cook it according to my directions to get long, separate grains that don’t clump together. The reason for this is mainly aesthetic, but don’t we eat with our eyes first? Roast the dry ingredients until just golden, and don’t walk away from the skillet while you do it. The same goes for roasting the coconut shreds. If you walk away, they will almost certainly burn.
Serve
This lily needs no gilding, and a coconut rice is great served with just an Indian pickle or poppadum. Or a tomato chutney. Or go the extra mile and make a South Indian Cabbage Dal like this one for a memorable meal. You can also eat this rice with this delicious South Indian Style Chickpea Curry
More south Indian recipes with rice
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