How to prepare a perfect Nigerian coconut rice

When I write a recipe with the word perfect in the title, best believe it’s the perfect recipe. Tested and retested until perfection is literally achieved. I honestly consider myself a maestro when it comes to infusion rice dishes, I optimize my recipes for simplicity and incredible depth of flavor, all while producing perfectly cooked separate rice grains.

I already have incredible recipes for Fried rice and Jollof rice. This coconut rice recipe should definitely be added to your arsenal.

Ingredients

• 3 cups rice (long grain or basmati rice)
• 1 tbspn Coconut oil
• One 400ml can coconut milk (preferably Thai premium) .
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 medium onion
• 2-3 medium tomatoes
• Spices: 2 bay leaves
• 1 tspn white pepper
• 1 tspn minced chili
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tspn dried)
• salt – to taste
• 2 heaped tbspns crayfish powder
• 1-2 stock cubes.

Direction

Finely chop onion – set aside cut tomatoes into large chunks – set aside.
Mince chili pepper – set aside .

Place a wide cooking pot on medium heat. Add in 1 tbsp of coconut oil (sub vegetable oil). Add in onion. Cook until translucent and fragrant.

Add in tomato, minced pepper and spices. Stir. Cover and leave to simmer on low-medium heat for 10 minutes .

Add in coconut milk and one and a half (1.5) cups of water into the tomato mix. Stir. Cover and bring to a rolling boil. Stir. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Add in washed rice. Stir. Reduce heat to low-medium (4 on a marked cooker) .

Place a sheet of foil over the pot. Place the lid over it and properly seal the edges with foil (this is a very important step).

Set a timer for 30 minutes and let it go! You have done all you can 😂, let Jesus take the wheel hen. Leave it alone! Don’t open the pot until time is up

By covering the pot with foil & then a lid, you are able to get away with using less liquid. The rice grains are gently steamed & infused instead of being boiled. End result is perfectly separate & delicious grains.

Serve coconut rice with Peppered meat or chicken