This is a simple rice dish that I adapted from a more complicated Indian Pulao recipe and tailored to my personal taste and time constraints.
Dee’s Coconut Rice Pilaf
Serves 6 as a side or 4 as a main dish
Great with Veggies in Masala Simmer Sauce or with Chicken Satay. If you want just coconut rice, omit the raisins, pistachios and coconut.
Consider serving pilaf as a main dish with Dee’s Butter Lettuce Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
What You’ll Need:
2 cups white basmati rice
1 12 oz. can lower fat coconut milk
½ cup water
1 whole cinnamon stick
1 whole (green) cardamom pod
½ to 2/3 cup shelled pistachios
½ to 2/3 cup golden raisins
1 sweet onion, sliced
Olive oil and small amount butter for frying
2 teaspoons sugar
Roasted coconut chips (available from Trader Joes), optional
Steps:
- Wash the rice in a sieve under cold, running water until the water from the rice runs clear. Drain the rice and put in a saucepan or rice cooker.
- Add cinnamon stick and cardamom pod to the rice and tuck down inside the rice. Add the coconut milk and water to cover the rice by ½ inch. Cook rice until done, about 20 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, place a frying pan over medium heat and add about 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter. Sauté onion until golden, about 10 minutes. Add sugar and toss. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes more, tossing or stirring until onion is caramelized.
- Remove onion from pan and set aside. Add small amount of butter/olive oil to the pan and reheat.
- Add the raisins to the pan and cook raisins until puffed. Turn off heat and swirl in pistachios. Combine with onions.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pod from the cooked rice. Stir the onion-raisin-pistachio mixture into the hot rice.
- If you like, you can add a Tablespoon of butter or coconut oil to the cooked rice for additional flavor; it’s a matter of taste.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle with roasted coconut chips or serve as is.
