Jamaican Coconut Rice
Looking for something different and easy for dinner? This recipe is perfect for those of you with a taste for Caribbean style food. My mom is Dominican so I grew up eating food with Caribbean flavors which is why I was drawn to this recipe when I first came across it on Pinterest. I was looking for something different as a side for a meal and I knew that I wanted it to have a coconut flavor. I’m soooo over coconut and lime flavored things so when I found this recipe for Jamaican Coconut Rice, I HAD to give it a try.
I was going to make this recipe for a potluck that we were having at work for Thanksgiving but I didn’t have the time so I decided to make it for dinner a couple nights ago instead. This recipe is 100% an Ashley’s Adaptations recipe because I never make it exactly the same and this time wasn’t any different. If you’re interested in making a recipe thats not only filling but absolutely delicious and easy to make, keep reading!
When making this recipe, I usually double it. While I only have 4 people in my household, I like to make a ton of this rice all at once so that we can eat it throughout the week (which is exactly what I’ve done). Everyone in my family loves this Jamaican Coconut Rice and its fast and easy to make. Just like I’ve adapted this recipe (a billion times) to fit my needs and preference, you can do exactly the same and its extremely easy to do so.
The first thing you want to do is melt some coconut oil in a pot. Make sure the coconut oil has the coconut flavor to it in order to add a bit of extra flavor to the rice. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon but I just melt however much I feel like. After mincing some garlic and onion, sauté it in the pot on medium heat with some thyme. I have run out of dried lemon thyme from my garden, which is what I usually use, so this time I added some of my dried Hi-Ho Silver thyme from my garden. You can use whatever kind of thyme you prefer, but I have to say that lemon thyme is my favorite to use in recipes such as this.
Just as the garlic begins to brown a little and the onions have turned clear, add the pigeon peas, water, and coconut milk. The original recipe calls for lite coconut milk, which is what I used this time, but I have used regular coconut milk a few times before and have enjoyed it just as much, so its up to you if you’d prefer lite or regular. Bring the pot to a boil and then add your rice. After your rice is added, turn the heat down to low and cook your rice for about 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender and there is no more liquid in the pot. The way I made the rice this time made it a lot a creamier because I used more coconut milk than water. I also could have probably added another half cup of rice in order to soak up some of that extra milk. You can eat this on its own or pair it which a meat of your choosing. This recipe is super easy to change so make it however you’d prefer. Enjoy!
I have to credit International Cuisine for inspiring me to try this recipe and making it a regular dish at our dinner table. Check out the original recipe here: https://www.internationalcuisine.com/jamaican-coconut-rice/
If you end up changing this recipe to fit your preferences, let me know what changes you made and how it turned out in the comments below!!
