Today is world coconut day and here in the Maldives homeland of coconut  we took this opportunity to prepare different dishes.

Today I will reveal the recipe for aromatic coconut rice but first a bit of history.

World Coconut Day has been celebrated since 2009 and was set up to make the benefits and importance of coconut known to the whole world.
Coconut in some countries also called “coco” is very important both in cooking and in cosmetic use, in fact its oil is highly appreciated for the benefits it brings both to the skin and to the hair.

But let’s back to the kitchen,by the way if you want to know more about the benefits of coconut water follow this link, it is an article of mine from a few months ago in which I explain its characteristics well.

Now it’s time to discover this simple but tasty recipe !

Coconut Rice Recipe:

Ingredients

• 150 g of jasmine / basmati rice
• 350 ml coconut milk
• 150 ml water
• 1 lemongrass “crashed”
• 3 bay leaf
• 1 kaffir lime leaf
• 3g Salt

Method :

Rinse the rice under cold water until the water becomes clear (this will remove the excess starch).

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan (which can then be moved to the oven) and bring to a boil.
Cover the pot and continue boiling for 5 minutes.

Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let the rice rest in the covered pot for another 10 minutes.

Eliminate the lemongrass, bay leaf and kaffir lime leaf and garnish with a garnish of your choice or just some dried coconut flakes, but the best thing is to use your creativity and you can’t go wrong.

Serve in a serving dish in the center of the table to share,
usually it can be accompanied with a curry-based preparation but also to be consumed simply with vegetables and a little extra virgin olive oil.

Buon Apeetito and have a wonderful International Coconut Day !

Cristian Marino