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Coconut Rice

Nigerian Coconut Rice is a fragrant, creamy, subtly sweet rice dish cooked entirely in fresh coconut milk, giving the finished rice a distinctive ivory colour, a gentle coconut aroma and a richness that cannot be achieved with water alone. It is one of the most popular rice dishes at Nigerian weddings and social events, particularly in Lagos and coastal communities where coconuts are readily available.

Coconut Rice, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 3 big cups of long-grain parboiled rice, washed
  • 2 big fresh coconuts OR 1 large tin of coconut milk
  • Half a medium chicken or 1 big handful of large prawns
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 2 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 3 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
  • 2 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • 1 teaspoon of curry powder
  • Salt to taste
  • A small handful of fresh thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves

Method

  1. 01

    Extracting Fresh Coconut Milk. If using fresh coconuts: crack the coconuts and collect the coconut water. Scoop out all the white coconut flesh. Blend the flesh with 2 glasses of warm water until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth, squeezing out all the liquid. This is your fresh coconut milk — thick and fragrant. Combine with the coconut water collected earlier. If using canned coconut milk, thin with a glass of water.

  2. 02

    Cooking the Chicken or Prawns. Season the chicken with salt, 1 seasoning cube and sliced onion. Cook in a little water for 20 minutes. Reserve the stock. If using prawns, simply season and set aside — they will be added later.

  3. 03

    Frying the Base. Heat 3 cooking spoons of oil in a wide, deep pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and fry for 2 minutes. Add the blended Atarodo and fry for 5 minutes.

  4. 04

    Adding the Coconut Milk. Add the coconut milk to the fried pepper base. Add chicken stock, curry, thyme, bay leaves, seasoning cubes and salt. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Taste — the liquid should be well-seasoned and fragrant with coconut.

  5. 05

    Cooking the Rice. Add the washed rice and cooked chicken to the boiling coconut milk broth. Stir once. Cover tightly with foil and then the lid. Cook on medium-low heat for 25 to 30 minutes until all the coconut milk is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked. If using prawns, add them in the final 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

  6. 06

    Finishing. The finished Coconut Rice should be ivory-white, fragrant with coconut and thyme, with separate, glossy grains. Fluff gently with a fork before serving.

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