Coconut turmeric rice is a beautiful and flavorful golden yellow side dish that pairs with almost any main course - we especially like it with curry-flavored dishes from Indian to Thai. The coconut milk adds an aromatic creaminess without dairy.
I found this recipe when I was looking for ideas for a recipe for Moroccan beef. The original recipe for the rice suggests serving it sprinkled with sliced almonds, but other nuts are great too, like these macadamias.
The rice recipe was so delicious-sounding and beautiful I had to try it. Turmeric adds a very subtle flavor but of course, lots of color. Then I had to fiddle with it, of course.
I modified the recipe by adding cumin and mustard seeds. The seeds give the dish a subtle crunch without changing the flavor too much, as well as little spots of color.
Also, I suggest you use the thinnest part of the coconut milk, if you are using canned, and save the creamy part for other dishes. this seems to help the rice plump up the best. If you are using the coconut milk that comes in a carton, it's thin enough to use as-is.
This recipe is great if you want a mildly flavored rice that can simmer on the stovetop while you are prepping your main dish. It should work equally well in a rice cooker or the Instant Pot on the rice setting, though I haven't tried it this way.
Making Coconut Turmeric Rice Step by Step
Soak the rice while gathering the other ingredients and sauteing. Soaking will help the rice cook thoroughly. Saute your onion, garlic, seeds and turmeric to tenderize the onion in particular and then flavor the oil.
TIP: Flavoring the oil flavors the whole dish!
Then you'll rinse and drain the rice, and saute it to coat it with the onion mixture.
Stir in the stock, coconut milk and other seasonings. Simmer the rice (covered), not allowing it to boil over, until all the liquid has been absorbed. The surface of the rice will develop little spaces where the bubbles rise, and when the bubbles disappear, the liquid is gone too.
Stir the cooked rice mixture so all the seasonings are evenly distributed, serve and enjoy!
What to enjoy with Coconut Turmeric Rice
Soon I'll be publishing recipes for bean curry and Moroccan beef recipes that are perfect with this side dish!! Stay tuned.
If you have a chance to make this recipe, please leave me a comment so that I know how it went, and thanks!
Beth
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Coconut Turmeric Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice we used short-grain, partially milled Japanese rice, see note
- 2 tablespoons coconut or olive oil
- ½ cup onion chopped fine
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- ½ cup coconut milk see note
- 1 cup stock chicken or vegetable
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Wash, rinse and soak the rice for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Saute onions in oil until they are translucent, then add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
- Add the seeds and saute 30 seconds, then the turmeric and stir until all is mixed together.
- Add the drained rice and saute for 2 minutes until coated with oil and turmeric.
- Add the coconut milk and the stock and stir well.
- Season with salt and pepper and bring to a slow boil.
- Once it comes to a boil – reduce heat to a low simmer.
- Cover the pot and let cook on low for 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed (a glass cover for the pot helps with this).
- At this point, turn the heat off but do not open the pan.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes more.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and, if desired, slivered almonds.
Notes
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Rochelle
I adore the spices you use in this recipe. I made this for my family and they loved it! Definitely will make this again
Beth
Thank you so much, Rochelle. It's one of our favorites and I'm so happy your family liked it too!
Felicia Austin
Oh my gosh! I Have never heard of coconut turmeric rice until I read your post! Turmeric is amazing for your joints and I take it for mine because I have osteoarthritis. This will definitely be on my regular list of side dishes from now on! Thank you for opening up the possibilities of turmeric!
Beth
Felicia, you can probably even get the same kind of rice I use, which I love in this recipe because it comes out so tender as well as being pretty addictive. The turmeric is perfect in this dish - and I'm fascinated to learn that about it being good for joints!
Saif
This turmeric rice looks delicious. I love when you added coconut. It surely makes the dish flavorful.
Beth
Thank you Saif! Adding the coconut milk makes the rice creamy and makes the spices blend together. We really love it.
Nart at Cooking with Nart
I love turmeric rice so this is definitely right up my alley. And the color is just so beautiful!
Beth
Hello Nart, I love the color and the subtle flavor of the turmeric so much. I'm just amazed at how many meals the rice goes with since it's so mild on its own. Thanks!
LaRena Fry
What a beautiful dish. Love that is is so versatile and can go with almost anything.
Beth
Thanks LaRena - this recipe has been a happy find that I now make regularly. And you are right, it goes with a great variety of cuisines and makes the kitchen smell so nice.
Anindya Sundar Basu
As a Bengali, I love rice and will love to try this out.
Beth
Anindya, I'm sure yours will be spectacular!
Tanu Tiffin
I already tried your this recipe and everyone loved it especially my mom loves its exotic real flavor!!
Beth
Hello Tanu, that was so quick! I'm glad your mom liked the flavor - the turmeric really makes it special.
Pavani Gunikuntla
I never heard about this coconut turmeric rice until I read your post. Even though rice is our staple food, this rice is very new . The rice looks so colourful and flavourful with the addition of coconut. Bookmarked this recipe and will try it soo,.Thanks for sharing a new recipe.
Beth
Pavani, we think it's pretty perfect with the color and creamy texture. I hope you enjoy it!
Lathiya
Rice is a staple in our house. This turmeric coconut rice looks scrumptious. I will try soon.
Beth
Hi Lathiya, if you do try it, let me know. MANY of your rice recipes also look scrumptious and I have them on my list to try!
Pranita deshpande
We are feeling so lower by looking your sites and methods. Fantastic recipe. It is my favorite recipe.
Beth
Pranita, I'm so glad you like it - it is one of my favorites too.
Relle
Love this. Can't wait to try it.
Beth
It's so good! Hope you like it as much as we do.
Yukiko
I wanted to learn how to make flavored rice to go with Indian or Thai curry. This turmeric coconut rice was perfect! We had with Indian curry and it was delicious!
I’m Japanese so the seasoning used was quite different from my home country. I thought the seasonings might be too strong for my palate but adding coconut milk made the taste milder.
I love the flavor so I will make it again.
Beth
Thank you so much for this feedback, Yuki. I was surprised the first time I made this that the turmeric gave just the right amount of flavor. I'm glad it came out to your taste, and wasn't too strong.