Better Coconut Rice

So coconut rice has been trending for the last two weeks, the truth is that I have been experimenting wildly and hoping that I would come up with a delicious and healthy recipe… and this sure takes the cake.

It is one thing to make a delicious food, making it healthy is a whole different story; with this recipe, I was able to achieve those two.

We have healthy foods in Nigeria but they are often diluted with unnecessary chemicals or excessively heated before they are consumed.

With this article, I am hoping to show you some of health benefits of coconut and also proffer a very delicious way of consuming coconut. While coconut can be used as ingredients for several Nigerian foods, is it also eaten as a snack and used as raw material for several finished products.

Coconut is high in dietary fiber, helps to improve heart health, helps to prevent obesity, reduces sugar craving, acts as energy booster and improves digestion. It is gluten free, non-toxic, contains antibacterial, antifungal and anti-parasitic healing properties. This is great and the list is endless.

What is even better is when you make a delicious plate of rice out of it. This is my latest coconut rice and girl! It is delicious. I tried so hard to eliminate every unnecessary/unhealthy ingredients and it still turned out delicious.

Here is how you make this delicious meal, you can use chicken, goatmeat or fish.

Ingredients (6 persons)

Goatmeat – 1kg
3 cups of rice
1 medium sized coconut
3 cubes of knorr or maggi
3 seeds of yellow pepper
3 seeds of red pepper
1 medium sized green pepper
1 sachet kitchen glory – (beef seasoning).
Teaspoon of thyme.
Curry leaves – half cup
Salt to taste.

For this coconut rice recipe, you don’t need the water inside the coconut; you need the actual chewable coconut, just grate it.

Start by parboiling the rice, slice the green pepper, yellow/red pepper and grate the coconut, the image below shows you how it is done.

Pre-cook the meat for about 10 minutes with the kitchen glory, onions, salt and a cube of maggi, wash the parboiled rice and set aside. There is no frying in this recipe, always avoid the oil when it is possible, you really don’t need it.

Transfer the pre-cooked meat to a bigger pot, add two cups of water, 1-2 cubes of maggi or knorr, salt to taste and the parboiled rice. Allow to cook for 15 minutes, add grated coconut and another cup of water (if necessary), the other coconut rice recipe needed just the milk, here you add everything.

Allow to simmer for the next 10-20 minutes until the rice is soft, you can add more water along the line, taste for salt and add more if necessary.

Add the thyme, green pepper, red/yellow pepper and curry leaves once the rice is getting soft, you don’t want it too soft.

Allow to simmer 3-4 minutes, turn all together and serve with your favorite soft drink

Try my delicious Caribbean Rice