Coconut Rice w/ Greens and Spicy Sesame Sauce

Welcome to my new favourite way to cook rice. There’s no fancy techniques involved, no expensive equipment just some plain old white rice and coconut milk. Now, I may well be late to the coconut rice game, but I’ve always found the options on restaurant menus of ‘sticky coconut rice’ less than appealing. I always think they’ll be really dense, stodgy and therefore make me feel dense and stodgy leading to that not-so-pleasant bloated feeling. Hence why I approached this experiment/recipe with trepidation. I’m happy to say that I had no need to worry as the resulting rice was light on the stomach, easy on the eye and delicious on the taste buds. It’s so simple, requiring very minimal effort and is pretty much a fail-proof way to serve up fragrant, flavourful and healthful rice.

I’ve opted for white rice even though my go-to is always brown or wild. Let’s just take a moment to appreciate the under-appreciated white cousin of the ever-popular brown rice. I think white rice gets a bad rep. As far as I understand, all white rice starts as brown rice and is then milled to remove the outer husk, germ and bran. Now, this does mean white rice is lower in nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals, but when you follow a truly nourishing lifestyle filled with wholegrains, what’s a serving of white rice going to do to you? Absolutely nothing. This recipe just cries out for the softer, quicker to cook white variety as the end product is delicious. I haven’t tried this with brown rice but can imagine that the texture will not be as cosy and comforting so I highly recommend you giving the little white guy some love.

Coconut Rice w/ Greens and Spicy Sesame Sauce

I use a great coconut milk powder mixed with water to produce a ‘homemade’ coconut mill. I love making my own this way as I can control how creamy I want the milk to be, without having half open tins of coconut milk in the fridge. However, you can swap like for like with the tinned variety.

Aside from the sticky coconut rice, another reason I love this bowl is the simplicity but flavourful punch that the accompaniments provide to contrast with the creaminess. Simply fried greens that maintain some bite with peas, creamy avocado, a tamari-lime-maple sauce for the sweet-n-sour tang plus all the sriracha your heart desires.

Coconut Fried Greens

Are you tempted yet?

Coconut Rice with Greens and Spicy Sesame Sauce
Serves 2

Ingredients:
150g white jasmine rice
40g coconut milk powder
300ml water
16 stems asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ head of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
100g frozen peas
1 large handful of kale
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp coconut vinegar
Sauce:
2 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp lime juice
½ tsp sriracha
1 tsp coconut honey
1 avocado, sliced
 
Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180*C. Line a baking tray with parchment. Toss the asparagus and broccoli with the olive and season to taste. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes, turning over half way through. Add the peas for the final 5 minutes of cooking, when the broccoli should be starting to char.

2. Meanwhile, mix the coconut milk powder with the water and add to a saucepan with the rice. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-12mins until the rice is soft. You may need to add extra water if it is starting to stick. Stir every now and then.

3. De-stem the kale and tear into small pieces. In a large bowl, massage the kale with the lemon juice, vinegar and a pinch of salt with your hands, until it wilts. Leave to marinade while the rice and veggies cook.

4. Make the sauce by mixing everything in a small bowl.

5. To serve, divide the kale between two bowls, top with ½ of the rice, ½ of the veggies, ½ the avocado and the dressing. Top with extra chilli flakes, sriracha and seeds, if desired.

Have you made this Coconut Rice with Greens and Spicy Sesame Sauce bowl? I would love to hear your thoughts by leaving a comment below and/or tagging me in your creations. I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy.