This version of coconut rice ticks so many boxes for me at the moment. It’s verdant color, sweet and savory aroma and lovely sticky texture has everything I want and then some. Best of all, it’s made with nutrient rich kale and spinach. A win-win! I don’t know what it is lately, but I just want to eat ALL the greens and raw veggies…. maybe the lack of seeing green since moving to the desert has inspired me to eat more of them. I’m not sure what it is but I’m not complaining.
Jump to RecipeThis is a very easy and quick side dish. I like to keep organic pre-washed kale and spinach in the fridge for smoothies, salads and soups. So when I came across this recipe in Vegetable Kingdom by Bryant Terry for green rice, I had to try it out right away! Just blending up some greens with water for cooking the rice was brilliant. I love coconut in all its’ forms, so I thought it would be nice to add a substantial amount of coconut milk to make it lush and top it with some crunchy, unsweetened coconut chips.
What kind of rice to use for green coconut rice?
I’m using my favorite rice here, which is short grain sushi rice. You can substitute whatever rice you like, such as jasmine, basmati or long grain rice. The thing you want to keep in mind is the ratio of liquid to raw rice. Look at the back of your package of rice to give you a clue. I’m using a 1 part rice to 1.25 liquid ratio for the sushi rice. You can keep the amount of greens, coconut milk and water I’ve listed the same for blending. After blending them up, measure out what you have and if you come up short for your type of rice, top it up with a bit more water and/or coconut milk to make up the difference.
For instance, if your rice says to use 1 1/2 cups water for 1 cup of rice and you only have 1 1/4 cups blended green liquid, add 1/4 cup more water and/or coconut milk to equal 1 1/2 cups and mix well. Easy peasy. Adjust the cooking time according to your package instructions as well. This green coconut rice could also be easily made in a rice cooker. Although, since you already have to saute’ onions, I’d just as well make this on the stovetop.
What to serve with this?
This green coconut rice would be great with just about anything! I can’t think of a thing I wouldn’t eat with it. The coconut does impart a slight sweetness but I think it would be a nice contrast to any kind of salty or spicy food. I would love this with a vegetable curry, miso grilled fish or chicken cashew stir fry. Some garlic sauteed greens topped with crunchy fried shallots sounds great too! I can honestly eat this just by itself and be perfectly satisfied. Maybe add a bowl of miso soup with some tofu and I’m a happy camper! Especially on a busy weeknight.
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Green Coconut Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup (205 g) sushi rice (or jasmine, basmati, etc)
- 1 cup (25 g) kale leaves, washed & tightly packed
- 1 cup (30 g) spinach leaves, washed & tightly packed
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) water (see notes)
- ½ cup (120 ml) coconut milk (shake can well)
- 2 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
- ½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1¼ tsp salt (or to taste) (I use Diamond kosher salt)
- coconut chips or flakes, unsweetened, for garnish (optional)
Method
- Place rice in a large bowl. Fill with cool water and stir and swish rice with one hand. Pour off cloudy water and repeat this 2-3 times or until water runs clear. Fill bowl with fresh water and leave to soak while you prep.
- In a blender, combine the kale, spinach, water and coconut milk. Blend until thoroughly smooth. Measure off 1-1/4 cups of green liquid (the amount you get can vary with how tightly you pack the leaves, etc). Discard any extra you may have. If you don't have enough, top off with more water.
- Drain rice. Heat a medium sized pot (that has a tight fitting lid) over medium high heat. Once hot, add the coconut or vegetable oil. Add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and translucent but not brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the rice to the pot. Stir to coat with the oil. Pour in the green liquid and add the salt. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and immediately lower heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and leave covered to steam and rest for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Garnish with coconut chips and serve.
Notes
Pin it for later!
Having made several of Susan’s posted recipes I can attest that they are all relatively easy to prepare (for even a minimally experienced cook) and have been some of the dishes I go back to a literally cook in repeat. The Vegan Green Coconut Rice is no exception to this – it was quick to put together and cook and was simply delicious – and like she says a super easy way to get your greens in. I actually increased the amount of greens but kept the liquid the same – I found I needed to add a little bit more of the green mixture to the rice for cooking purposes but overall adding more greens did t seem to affect the dish too much. I have a 1 and 2 year old and they gobbled it up too (although I did add a little Parmesan for them…so no longer vegan but still nutritious) This is definitely a recipe I will make again very soon!
I’m so glad you and your family liked this recipe! Especially the kids! Thanks for the nice review. Good to know you can add even more greens and it still works! Happy New Year!