With its bright golden hue, this coconut and turmeric flavored rice is terrific with curry or as a side to grilled meats or fish. It is so tasty it’s good for a light lunch just on its own.

Andrea Nguyen is a well know chef, cookbook author and teacher whose family hails from Vietnam. For many years Andrea was in search of a turmeric coconut rice that was full of bright coconut flavor perfumed with turmeric. Most recipes in the US using coconut milk or coconut cream left the rice thick and gummy. However, with the rise in popularity and increasing availability of coconut water, Andrea decided to try cooking the rice in the water rather than the milk and Eureka! With the addition of fresh grated turmeric and some coconut oil for an extra flavor boost she had found her holy grail. As Andrea tells it, when she served this to her parents their eyes lit up, so reminiscent was it of their home in Vietnam.

This rice is not difficult to make but it is a bit fussier than simple steamed rice. It is though, in my opinion, well worth the little extra effort.

The Ingredients:

There are only 4 ingredients in this recipe (not including a pinch of salt) so let’s start with the main one…

The Rice –
You will want a long grain rice for this and preferably Jasmine or Basmati whose grains will cook up fluffy and separate. Avoid medium and short grain rice varieties which will be inherently more gummy when cooked.

To Rinse or Not to Rinse, That is the Question – Rinsing will remove some of the surface starches and allow the rice to cook up with nice, fluffy separate grains. Aside from that, rinsing removes dirt and debris that you don’t want in your food anyway. (Yeah, there really is dirt and debris on rice). So yes, the rice should be rinsed before cooking. Years ago I read that rinsing rice washes off some of its nutrients and indeed it does, so for a long time I didn’t rinse my rice. I have since been convinced that the benefits of rinsing outweigh downsides so now I rinse religiously.

What’s the best way to rinse rice? – Many recipe instructions will tell you to rinse the rice in several changes of water until the water is clear. I can tell you that as long as you swish the rice around in a bowl the water will never run clear. As the grains rub against each other they will slough off some starches that will make the water cloudy. You could put the rice in a fine mesh strainer or colander and rinse it under running water for a minute or two while disturbing the grains as little as possible. But in drought prone California where I live that would be considered a terrible waste of a precious resource. Two or three rinses in a bowl while gently swirling the bowl will remove any debris and enough starch to get the job done. Avoid aggressive agitation with your fingers or you’ll never get anything close to clear water.

Here’s what I do: I put my rice in a bowl and cover it with water. I gently swish the bowl a few times then pour out the water through a sieve to catch any stray rice grains. I repeat that process one or two more times then I tip all the rice into the sieve which I set over the bowl for 15 minutes or so to completely drain the rice.

Coconut Water –
Coconut water, if you’ve never had it, is slightly sweet with a refreshingly mild coconut flavor. Go for organic if you can and one with no additives; the ingredient list should read, “Coconut Water”, and nothing else.

Turmeric –
I’m sure we’re all familiar with the jar of turmeric powder you find in the spice isle at the grocery store. A little added to whatever you are cooking gives the food a lovely golden hue but sadly, no flavor. Fresh turmeric, however, does impart a pleasant floral note to the food, especially on a blank canvas like rice.

If you are not familiar with it, fresh turmeric looks very much like fresh (stem) ginger except that while ginger has a light tan color, turmeric is orange. You treat it much like ginger too, scarping off the thin skin with a teaspoon and grating it. I use a microplane type grater. You don’t want to peel the turmeric (or ginger for that matter) with a knife or vegetable peeler because that removes and wastes a lot of the ‘meat’.

Coconut Oil –
And finally the coconut oil. The coconut oil, added at the end once the rice is cooked, gives the rice just the right amount of coconut flavor without being overwhelming. For readers in the US, I get mine at Trader Joe’s. Otherwise, try to find organic virgin coconut oil if you can which has a more pronounced coconut-y flavor than refined coconut oil. It is shelf stable too and keeps quite a long time. The last time I made this rice I went to the pantry for my jar of coconut oil and there it was, gone! I had forgotten that I ran out several weeks ago. Luckily I had a can of coconut milk in the cupboard so I opened that and scooped off the top layer of solid coconut fat which did the job nicely. Crisis averted! Now I have to think of something to use up the rest of the can of coconut milk before it goes off. Pork Adobo? A curry maybe?. Hmm, no doubt I’ll think of something.

So that’s it; 4 simple ingredients plus a pinch of salt and you have a delicious side dish to go with your curry or roasted chicken or grilled fish or… OK, you get the idea.

You can check out the recipe card below for ingredient quantities and detailed instructions but broadly speaking the process goes like this:

• You place your rice in a bowl and cover it with water then gently swish the bowl around to rinse the rice, trying not to agitate the grains too much.
• You are going to pour out the water through a sieve to catch any stray grains that attempt an escape. At this stage it doesn’t matter if you don’t get all the water.
• Repeat the rinsing/pouring steps one or two more times. You should see that the water is noticeably less cloudy but don’t worry if it’s not. It’s never going to completely clear.
• After the final rinse pour all the rice into the sieve and set it over the bowl to drain completely. This should take 10-15 minutes.
• While the rice is draining you can get on with preparing the turmeric, scraping the thin skin off using a teaspoon or the tip of a table knife. Try not to waste any of the good stuff. Use a microplane or the small holes on a box grater to grate 1-1/2 Tsp of turmeric.
  (If you can’t find fresh turmeric or you don’t want to go to the time and expense of using it you can just use a 3/8 Tsp dry turmeric powder instead. You will still have a gorgeous golden coconut rice but without the background hint of turmeric).
• Once everything is ready you are going to add all the ingredients except the coconut oil to a medium pot and bring it to a boil. You’ll want to stir it a few times to prevent the rice grains on the bottom from catching.
• As soon as it begins to boil you will want to turn down the heat and simmer it for a minute or two just until the surface of the rice looks glossy. At that point you are going to turn the heat down very low, cover the pot and let it cook, undisturbed for 10 minutes. Set your timer!
• After 10 minutes take the pot off the heat and stir in the coconut oil, fluffing the rice with a fork.
• The rice isn’t fully cooked yet so to finish it off, cover the pot and let it rest for another 10-30 minutes then fluff it again before serving.
  
  Et Voila! Perfect, flavorful coconut rice with turmeric.