Coconut Fried Rice
Aperçu
Coconut fried rice is rice cooked in coconut milk and stock rather than water, then combined with fried vegetables. It is made across an enormous range of countries, from the Indian subcontinent through Southeast Asia to South and Central America, East and West Africa, the Caribbean and Oceania, which is why no single country is claimed for it. In Nigeria it is a party dish, and the version here reads that way: turmeric for colour, cabbage and mixed vegetables, habanero, and hotdog sausages as an optional addition, which is a distinctly Nigerian party-food touch. It sits alongside jollof rice and fried rice on the same table. The name is slightly misleading, and the source acknowledges it. This is rice cooked in coconut milk rather than fried rice in the strict sense: the coconut milk and stock are absorbed during cooking, and the vegetables are fried separately and folded through at the end. That order matters. Cooking the rice in the coconut milk is what gets the flavour into every grain, and frying the vegetables separately keeps them from going soft in the liquid. The frozen vegetables need to be thawed and patted dry, or their water thins the whole thing.
Ingrédients
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
Mix the coconut milk and chicken stock in a pan. Stir and taste for seasoning, adjusting as needed.
- 2
Add the washed and drained rice.
- 3
Cover the pan tightly and cook until the rice is done, all the liquid absorbed and the grains soft but not mushy.
- 4
Heat oil in a separate pan and sauté the onions and garlic until the onion is translucent.
- 5
Add the shrimp if using and stir fry for about 2 minutes.
- 6
Add the mixed vegetables and stir fry over medium-low heat until the remaining moisture from the frozen vegetables evaporates, about 8 minutes.
- 7
Add the cabbage, green pepper and habanero and cook briefly.
- 8
Stir, taste for seasoning and adjust. Turn off the heat.
- 9
Fold the cooked rice through the vegetables and serve hot.
Notes de l’Africook
- Thaw and pat the frozen vegetables dry before they go in the pan. Their water otherwise thins everything and stops the vegetables browning.
- Cook the rice in the coconut milk and stock, not in water. That is where the flavour comes from and it cannot be added afterwards.
- Fry the vegetables separately and fold them through at the end, so they keep their texture rather than softening into the rice.
- Cook the rice until soft but not mushy. Coconut milk is rich and mushy rice turns the whole dish claggy.
- Jasmine or basmati is what most cooks recommend for this, since long grain stays separate.
- Full fat coconut milk rather than light. The fat is carrying the flavour through the rice.
Questions fréquentes
Is coconut fried rice actually fried?
Not in the strict sense, and the source acknowledges it. The rice is cooked in coconut milk and stock rather than water, and the vegetables are fried separately and folded through at the end. It is a variety of fried rice by convention rather than by technique, and the coconut is what makes it.
Where is it from?
Everywhere coconut and rice grow together, which is why no country is claimed. Versions are made across the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, South and Central America, East and West Africa, the Caribbean and Oceania. The Nigerian version, which this one resembles, is party food served alongside jollof.
What rice should I use?
Jasmine or basmati, both long grain varieties that stay separate. This recipe uses jasmine. Avoid short grain and pudding rice, which release too much starch and turn claggy against the coconut milk. Wash the rice thoroughly first to remove surface starch.
Can I use light coconut milk?
You can, but the dish will be noticeably thinner and less fragrant. The fat in full fat coconut milk carries the flavour into the rice as it absorbs, which is the whole point of cooking it in coconut milk rather than water. Light coconut milk is mostly water.
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