How To Cook Nigerian Coconut Rice

Hello foodie! Welcome and join us as we walk you through on how to make or cook Nigerian Coconut Rice from scratch to finish.

Nigerian coconut rice is a popular side dish, but, thanks to its versatile flavour and nutritional value, it also makes a perfect standalone dish. Using freshly homemade coconut milk to cook this rice gives it an authentic taste. Below is all the information you need to make this dish in your kitchen.

Ingredients

Many people confuse coconut rice with Jollof rice simply because the two cooked dishes look rather similar. However, once you learn how to make Nigerian coconut rice, you will never mix up the two dishes again.

There are many methods of making coconut rice, but most Nigerians prefer to make their coconut rice with tomatoes. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for a classic coconut rice recipe:

3 cups of Parboiled rice
600ml of Coconut milk
500ml of Tomato stew
Whole chicken cut into pieces or thighs
1 Medium onion
3 Stock cubes (seasoning)
1 tablespoon of thyme
Salt and chilli pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for frying
Water

How To Make Coconut Rice

Follow these step by step guide to learn how to cook the classic Nigerian Fresh Coconut Rice:

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Most experienced cooks have a batch of tomato stew waiting in the freezer. If you also have some tomato stew, simply defrost it before you start cooking. If not, you will have to use the classic tomato stew recipe and prepare it beforehand.
Prepare the chicken. If you are using the whole chicken, cut it into pieces and wash. Fill a pot with water, add the chicken pieces, add the stock cubes, the chopped onion, and thyme. Turn on the heat and cook the chicken until it is ready.
When the chicken is done, take it out of the water, drain it or pat it completely dry, and grill in the oven or fry in vegetable oil until it becomes crispy and golden brown. Set the chicken aside.
Wash and drain the parboiled rice. You will need twice as much liquid as you have rice. 3 cups of rice are approximately 750 grams. If you have 600ml of coconut milk and 500ml of tomato stew, you will need an additional 400ml of liquid. You can use the chicken stock for extra flavour.
Mix the liquids in a pot and bring it to a boil. Add the drained rice, salt and chilli pepper. If the liquid doesn’t completely cover the rice, add water to top off the rice. Turn on medium heat, cover the pot, and cook until the water is evaporated and the rice is cooked.
Serve the rice with chicken, moi-moi, coleslaw, or your other favourite sides.