Spicy Sesame Coconut Rice
This recipe makes a pot of brown rice cooked In a thin sesame-coconut broth. It is showered with lemon zest and drizzled with chile oil if you like a bit of heat.
Rice has always been my top comfort food. It’s what my mom would feed me when I was sick, and the only food I ever wanted to escort me out of the haze of flu. As an adult, I vacillate between making beautiful, simply-cooked pots of plain rice and more elaborate creations that I think of as “wild style.” Lol. The simple preparations are the most comforting - basic brown short-grain rice with a bit of salt and (maybe) a pat of butter or drizzle of good olive or sesame oil. The wild style versions are the opposite. They're exciting to make - even invigorating! It’s when I grab from different cupboards, raid the spice drawer, and supplement the rice with other grains. I’m never 100% sure how things will turn out, but I make note of favorite wild-style versions in my notebook so it's easy to revisit them. This Spicy Sesame Coconut Rice has lots of stars next to it.
This version isn’t over-the-top ‘wild” per se - you probably have all of the ingredients on hand. But it’s a combination that’s just off-beat enough to be special. This recipe makes a pot of brown rice cooked in a thin sesame-coconut broth. It's showered with lemon zest and drizzled with sesame-chile oil if you like a bit of heat. It’s the kind of rice that goes nicely alongside a brightly cooked vegetable, and as the star component in whatever rice bowl you might be dreaming up.
You can see the coconut rice here, served family-style for lunch yesterday. It's pictured topped with tempeh crumbles, the last of an avocado, simple steamed asparagus, and scallion paste (just green onions pulsed with a splash of olive oil & a pinch of salt).
More Rice Bowl Recipes
- A Simple Brown Rice Sushi Bowl
- Instant Pot Brown Rice Bowl
- Super Orange Citrus Rice
- Rainbow Cauliflower Rice Bowl
- Bryant Terry's Amazing Green Rice
- Kale Rice Bowl
A few favorite rice sources included: Massa Organics, Koda Farms, Lotus Foods, and Toiro Kitchen. If you're on my mailing list, I also put a bunch of favorite rice links, books, and media in there & will link to it in the archives once it goes out. Enjoy! xx -h
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Spicy Sesame Coconut Rice
You can also use short grain brown rice here, but you may need to cook it a bit longer or add a tad bit more water.
- 2 cups brown jasmine or brown basmati rice
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
- zest of one lemon
- 1 teaspoon sesame-chile oil, or to taste
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Rinse and soak the rice for at least 20 minutes, or overnight if you have the time.
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Drain the rice and transfer it to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the coconut milk, water, salt, and toasted sesame oil. Bring to a boil, and then dial the heat back to a simmer, covered, for 35-45 minutes, until the liquids have been absorbed. Fluff with a fork and remove the pan from the heat. Let the rice sit, covered, for another 10 minutes.
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Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds, shower with lemon zest, drizzle with the sesame-chili oil, and fluff again with a fork. Drizzle with more chile oil if you like, and finish with lots of lemon zest.
Serves 6.
Related Recipes
A Simple Brown Rice Sushi Bowl
This sushi bowl recipe is simply a de-constructed sushi roll - brown rice, tofu, avocado, toasted nori and green onions served with a simple citrus-soy dressing. Simple and delicious.
Kale Rice Bowl
A quick lunchtime brown rice bowl with kale, capers, salted yogurt, za'atar, toasted sesame seeds - and a poached egg for good measure.
Super Orange Citrus Rice
This incredible citrus rice is flooded with orange juice, flecked with celery and carrots, and boosted with a packet of French onion dip mix.
An Amazing Vegetarian Paella
A much-loved vegetarian paella recipe. And, for this veg-centric, California-inspired take on the Spanish classic, you don't need a special pan.
Bryant Terry’s Amazing Green Rice
A very special green rice. A blender of green juice made from kale, spinach, and a creamy stock is cooked with onions, garlic, green pepper, and long-grain rice. It all cooks together into an intensely green and fragrant pot of fluffy grains.
Rainbow Cauliflower Rice Bowl
The sort of meal I crave after a travel stint. Lightly cooked cauliflower is chopped, then tossed, with turmeric, cumin, cayenne, and a touch of ghee - add sliced avocado, hard-boiled eggs, toasted seeds, rainbow chard stems, lettuces.
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Comments
Can you make this with white jasmine rice?
Hi Lindsay, yes, just adjust your timing and the amount of liquids based on the rice you use.
Made today in the instant pot and it was DELICIOUS. Thanks so much for the recipe- it's the perfect base for a grain bowl of roasted veggies and chickpeas.
I made this in the Instapot last night, and it was delicious. I just used 1 cup of coconut milk and 1.5 cups of water for the liquid and cooked it for 22 minutes.
Thanks for the timing Erica! -h
did you use canned coconut milk here? mine always hardens and separates, so do you just shake it to combine the water/solids?
Yes, or just patiently stir it with a fork until creamy.
Can’t wait to make this, but gonna try it in the Instant Pot!!! Thanks for continuing to inspire and delight they these tense times. I love what you do, Heidi!
Thanks Kathy! Let me know if you end up with timing you like for this in the IP & I'll add a note.xx
What type of coconut milk do you use in the rice recipe?
Hi Vickie - full-fat organic.