World Coconut Day 2022: Aromatic Coconut Rice in the Maldives
Living and working in the Maldives makes the coconut impossible to treat as a decorative ingredient. It is part of everyday food, island culture and the practical way local kitchens use what grows naturally around them.
For World Coconut Day in 2022, we prepared several coconut-based dishes. I chose to share one of the simplest: aromatic coconut rice cooked with coconut milk, lemongrass, bay leaf and makrut lime leaf.
The recipe works well beside curries, grilled fish, vegetables or other dishes that benefit from a soft, fragrant rice rather than a strongly seasoned side.
Aromatic Coconut Rice
Ingredients
- 150 g jasmine or basmati rice
- 350 ml coconut milk
- 150 ml water
- 1 lemongrass stalk, lightly bruised
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 makrut lime leaf
- 3 g salt
Method
- Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water is mostly clear. This removes some of the excess surface starch.
- Place the rice, coconut milk, water, lemongrass, bay leaves, makrut lime leaf and salt in an ovenproof saucepan.
- Bring to a gentle boil on the stove, then cover the pan and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the covered pan to an oven preheated to 180°C and cook for about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave the rice covered for another 10 minutes. The resting time allows the grains to finish absorbing the liquid evenly.
- Remove the lemongrass, bay leaves and makrut lime leaf. Fluff the rice gently with a fork before serving.
How I like to serve it
I prefer to serve this rice in a shared dish at the centre of the table. It works naturally with curry-based preparations, but it can also accompany vegetables, seafood or grilled dishes.
A few toasted coconut flakes can be added at the end if you want more texture, but the rice does not need much decoration. Its character should come from the coconut milk and aromatics.
Looking at the coconut differently
When I first published this recipe in 2022, I was looking at the coconut mainly through the kitchen. Four years later, after spending more time working in island hospitality, I returned to the same ingredient from a wider perspective in What the Coconut Teaches Us About Resilient Hospitality.
The connection between the two pieces is useful to me. One is a recipe; the other is a reflection on resourcefulness, culture and the way island communities make practical use of what is available around them.
A simple ingredient becomes more interesting when we understand both how to cook with it and why it matters to the place around us.
Cristian Marino
Originally published on 2 September 2022. This Journal archive edition has been edited for language, recipe clarity and presentation while preserving the original quantities, photographs and publication date.
Further reading from the Journal
- What the Coconut Teaches Us About Resilient Hospitality
- About Simplicity
- Celebrating Chocolate Chip Cookie Day in the Maldives
About the Author
