How to make Coconut rice in a special way is what everyone needs to master. Making Coconut rice in a special way means you have to understand how to prepare the dish in a unique way. It is two-way traffic, you know it well, and you display it well.

Coconut rice, which is popular in many regions of the world, is prepared in a slightly different way than regular rice. Normally, you would bring the water to a boil before adding the rice, but in this recipe, you bring the milk, water, and rice to a boil all at the same time.

When half of the water is replaced with coconut milk, the rice becomes somewhat sticky, richer, and considerably more flavorful. Make sure to use canned coconut milk—coconut milk offered in cartons is typically watered down, lacking both the fat, smell, and natural sweetness we need.

Shake the can before opening to homogenize the cream, and then rinse it off with 1 1/2 cups of cooking water to get every last bit of goodness out.

What is the secret to nicely cooked rice? Allowing it to steam for 10 minutes after the heat has been turned off. This will allow the rice to “marinate” in the remaining steam, allowing each grain to be its best self.

How to Make Coconut Rice

1. Rinse the Rice

It is a must to remove excess starch. We don’t do this when cooking normal white rice. It’s important for coconut rice because coconut milk is thicker than water so it can make the rice a gluey mess.

Just rinse the rice until the water is pretty clear. It won’t be 100% clear.

2. Soak Rice for 1 Hour

This typically gives the rice grains a bit of a head start in the water absorption phase.

It is critical to ensure the rice cooks through evenly because coconut milk is thicker than water which makes it harder for the rice grains to absorb the liquid.

3. Can’t Just Use Coconut Milk

It’s just very thick, and the rice can’t absorb it properly. It has to be diluted with some water.

I find the best flavour/rice texture is achieved by using 1 can (400ml/14oz) coconut milk with 1 cup of water (just over 2 1/2 cups) for 2 cups of rice.

4. Bring Coconut Milk and Water to Boil First

This is quite important as well! You need to heat the liquid before adding it to the rice in a baking pan to start the cooking process as soon as the rice is in the oven.

If you happen to pour cold water and room-temperature coconut milk over the rice. In that case, it takes a good 10 to 15 minutes for the liquid to heat up in the oven during which time the rice is just wallowing in lukewarm liquids which causes it to bloat and cook unevenly.

5. Bake

Covered with foil, for 40 minutes at 200°C/400°F (180°C fan). By covering the rice, we are essentially making steamed rice just like you do on the stove.

Except, we don’t have to worry about scorching the base of the pot and the heat distributes much more evenly through the rice so it cooks through evenly!

7. Rest 15 Minutes

From the pan from the oven and rest, covered in foil, for 15 minutes. This step is important so do not skip it or shortcut the resting time.

During the resting time, the rice will finish cooking through evenly and the wetness on the surface of the rice grains will be absorbed, leaving the rice fluffy.