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Home > Lunch/Dinner > Easy South Indian Coconut Rice | Thengai Sadam

Easy South Indian Coconut Rice | Thengai Sadam

Last updated March 25, 2020. Originally posted March 25, 2020 By Jyothi Rajesh 20 Comments

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Coconut Rice Pinterest Long Image
coconut rice recipe with text overlay

Coconut rice – incredibly easy to make, loaded with flavor and great meal for lunch box. Trust me you will be waiting for lunch time. Don’t miss this humble rice recipe.

Coconut Rice served in clay pot with egg roast

Why Should You Try This Rice For Lunch Today?

Because coconut rice recipe, my friend is very easy to cook.

It uses minimal ingredients and works great with the left over rice too.

It’s an easy vegan + gluten free meal that you can cook in no time.

Also a very popular potluck recipe. Will be a big hit among the party crowd.

It pairs well with curry of your choice, yes literally any curry.

Recipe for nutty, light and delicious coconut rice varies from home to home. In some households coconut milk rice is made( fresh coconut milk is extracted from freshly grated coconut and the milk is used to cook the rice). It’s definitely flavor packed dish.

And the other way to cook coconut rice is the Indian way- buy using freshly grated coconut mixed into rice along with other spices and seasonings.

You can totally customize this recipe. You have the freedom to enhance coconut flavor to a great extent by both cooking rice in coconut milk (please note you’ll need thin coconut milk for the recipe and not thick cream, cream will split and won’t work for this recipe).

When cooking up lunch or dinner is very challenging, try this easy to make coconut rice. The dish comes together really quick and if you have leftover cooked rice, it’s a breeze to make this rice.

Coconut Rice served in a clay pot

Having leftover rice gives you so many options for your lunch/dinner preparations. Think of fried rice, mushroom rice, pepper rice, just to name a few.

This South Indian version of coconut rice needs to have one most important thing – tempering (tadka). Tempering is cracking mustard seeds, few dals(or Indian lentils), curry leaves and dried red chilies in oil for the flavor and taste.

Promised you easy coconut rice recipe, and that’s what you get:

Add the tempered items, fresh grated coconut to cooked rice. Viola! You coconut rice is ready.

Cook’s Tip: Channa dal (Indian lentils) can be used 2 ways here in the dish. Soak the dal for few minutes and add to temper. You get nice soft cooked bite of dal in the rice.

Coconut Rice with Egg Roast in a pan behind

Or use channa dal as it is in the temper and you get a crunchy bite of dal. If you ask me I like both and do either ways depending on my mood or what taste I prefer the particular day.

I have used both dried red chilies and green chilies here. Together the chilies gives amazing aroma and taste to the dish. Each type of chili has it’s own flavor and that brings out in the dish. Adjust the chilies based on your taste preference.

How to Make Coconut Rice

If you prefer soaking channa dal, soak for 15 minutes, drain and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan.

Crackle mustard seeds. Stir in cumin seeds, asafoetida and grated ginger.

Add the pre soaked and drain channa dal or as it is if you prefer crunchy bites. Along with channa dal add urad dal, cashews and stir cook until the lentils and cashews turn golden brown.

As per your taste preference stir in the number of chilies you prefer. I recommend both dried red and green chilies. Use just 1 dried red chilies whole or broken into 2 pieces. If you use too many red chilies the color of the rice will turn red.

Stir the curry leaves.

Add fresh grated coconut and stir for a minute. Then add cooked rice, salt to taste and gently mix it all together.

Serve with potato roast, egg roast or any curry of your choice.

coconut rice served in earthen pot

Alternative Method for Coconut Rice 

The easiest version of coconut rice is to use leftover rice from a day before – the recipe that you have here. There is another version which is popular in my family and one of my favorite versions too, which is cooking rice in coconut milk. Light, earthy flavors, comfort food to satisfy your soul.

Cook rice in coconut milk along plus water mix along with other tempering.

A quick coconut milk rice recipe would be –

Heat ghee (clarified butter), add in cumin seeds, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and saute for 1 minutes.

Add ginger-garlic paste. Add in slit green chilies, cook until raw smell of paste is gone.

Add in veggies like chopped carrots, peas and saute for a minute.

Pour coconut milk mixed with water. For 2 cups basmati rice (long grain rice – soaked and rinsed) add 3 ½ cup liquid (1 ½ cup coconut milk + 2 cups water).

Cook until rice is completely done.

Rest cooked rice for few minutes and then fluff it with fork.

Delicious coconut milk rice is ready!

PAIR COCONUT RICE WITH-

  • CHICKPEAS POTATO CURRY IN COCONUT MILK
  • EGG ROAST

OTHER RICE RECIPES YOU MUST TRY-

  • How To Make Steamed Rice
  • Chipotle Copycat Cilantro Lime Rice
  • Spicy Cajun Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
  • One Pot Mushroom Rice
  • Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
  • How To Make Low Carb Cauliflower Rice
  • Cauliflower Fried Rice

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Coconut Rice served in a clay pot
4.91 from 11 votes

Easy South Indian Coconut Rice

Jyothi Rajesh
All you need is this quick coconut rice that you can happily pack in your lunch boxes and dream about lunch time. Trust me you will be waiting to have this rice along with some delicious potato or egg roast on the side. You guys definitely do not want to miss this coconut rice recipe.
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 people
Calories 384

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups pre-cooked rice
  • 1 ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • A pinch of asafoetida
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger(grated)
  • 2 ½ tablespoon channa dal
  • 2 tablespoon urad dal
  • 12 no cashews
  • 1 no dried red chili
  • 2 no green chilies
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 cup fresh grated coconut
  • salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • If you prefer soaking channa dal, soak for 15 minutes, drain and keep aside.
  • Heat oil in a pan.
  • Crackle mustard seeds. Stir in cumin seeds, asafoetida and grated ginger. 
  • Add the pre soaked and drain channa dal or as it is if you prefer crunchy bites. Along with channa dal add urad dal, cashews and stir cook until the lentils and cashews turn golden brown.
  • As per your taste preference stir in the number of chilies you prefer. I recommend both dried red and green chilies. Use just 1 dried red chilies whole or broken into 2 pieces. If you use too many red chilies the color of the rice will turn red. 
  • Stir the curry leaves. 
  • Add fresh grated coconut and stir for a minute. Then add cooked rice, salt to taste and gently mix it all together. 
  • Serve with potato roast, egg roast or any curry of your choice.

Video

Notes

Adjust the chilies based on how spicy you like the rice to be.
Use brown rice for healthier alternative. 
If soaking channa dal(lentils) for this recipe, do it before you plan to cook this coconut rice dish. Saves a lot of time and works best when you are in a rush. 

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 7gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 14mgPotassium: 159mgFiber: 7gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 95IUVitamin C: 10.6mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 3.5mg
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coconut rice recipe with text overlay
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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says

    October 04, 2018 at 7:59 am

    5 stars
    Coconut rice is one of my favourite things ever!! I love how easy this recipe is!

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      October 04, 2018 at 8:16 am

      Thank you Cathleen, this is our favorite weekday dinner as well

      Reply
  2. Michelle says

    October 03, 2018 at 9:01 am

    5 stars
    Coconut rice is so delicious and versatile. I love your photos too!

    Reply
  3. Catherine says

    October 02, 2018 at 11:54 pm

    5 stars
    I love the spices and flavors this coconut rice…sounds wonderful and perfect side to so many fall dishes.

    Reply
  4. Veena Azmanov says

    October 02, 2018 at 10:59 pm

    5 stars
    One of my absolute favorite flavored rice. I Love coconut very much so often I add coconut milk instead of stock too. This sounds so flavorful. I can almost smell the aroma.

    Reply
  5. Melissa says

    October 02, 2018 at 9:16 pm

    It always amazes me how many spices go into making coconut rice, one of my favourite dishes to order when we go to our local take-out place! I love the addition of the chilies to yours, my hubby likes a little extra heat so he would love your version

    Reply
  6. Marisa Franca says

    October 02, 2018 at 8:10 pm

    5 stars
    What a great way to serve rice. I like using different liquids in the rice — it comes out so much better than simply rice. We use a lot of broth when we make grains but I love the idea of coconut milk.

    Reply
  7. Alexis says

    October 02, 2018 at 5:09 pm

    5 stars
    This rice dish looks amazing. So beautiful and it sounds delicious.

    Reply
  8. Lauren Vavala @ DeliciousLittleBites says

    October 02, 2018 at 4:43 pm

    5 stars
    I love all the added bits of flavor in this coconut rice – sounds delicious!

    Reply
  9. Kylee from Kylee Cooks says

    October 02, 2018 at 8:25 am

    5 stars
    Oh wow, this looks like a great side to pretty much any dish you could make! I love the flavors in this.

    Reply
  10. Valerie says

    October 02, 2018 at 1:24 am

    5 stars
    We love rice and eat it often here. Your coconut rice sounds like it has an intriguing flavor mixing sweet with savory.

    Reply
  11. Claudia Lamascolo says

    October 01, 2018 at 10:53 pm

    Coconut rice is the best its so flavorful and goes great with any meal this is perfection!

    Reply
  12. Md Tarikul Molla says

    May 11, 2018 at 1:38 pm

    4 stars
    Very nic and good helpful post.

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      May 11, 2018 at 5:22 pm

      thank you

      Reply
  13. mansi desai says

    February 07, 2018 at 3:32 pm

    5 stars
    hi,

    this is very nice recipe which you have posted here i like this posting this is very nice for me so thanks for this posting

    regards,

    mansi desai

    Reply
    • jyothirajesh says

      February 09, 2018 at 6:07 pm

      Thank you Mansi.. Hope you give this dish a try!

      Reply

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Jyothi - Author of Curry Trail.

Welcome, I'm Jyothi

My food philosophy is simple, fresh and full of flavors! I love ‘spicy’ food. In fact so much so that I can skip dessert for extra spicy savory food!

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