Coconut rice Pacific way

                                                                               Receta en Español

It has been a real challenge trying to find recipes , or at least the name of typical dishes, of Kiribati.

Luckily I came across this website :(http://www.kiribatitourism.gov.ki/) where they explain what is life like in Kiribati and offers travel guides where you can find a short description of main dishes consumed in these islands.

Rice doesn't grow in these islands, but it has become a common ingredient in normal meals in Kiribati.

The dish I present today is rice cooked in coconut milk, where they take advantage of the great amount of coconuts of the islands.

This is an easy and delicious recipe.

I already cooked coconut rice for Belize : http://viaja-en-mi-cocina-english.blogspot.com/2015/09/coconut-rice-belizean-style.html

Todays' recipe is very similar, adding toasted coconut which turns the rice even more delicious.

Ingredients:

•   1 clove of garlic.
•   1 cup rice .
•   1 cup coconut milk.
•   1 ½ cups of water.
•   50 grams of grated coconut.
•   Salt.

Method:

1-   We pour oil in a pot and fry the garlic for a minute over medium heat.

2-  Add the rice and fry it with the garlic a minute over medium heat.

3-  Pour into the pot a cup of coconut milk, 1 ½ cups of water and salt , put the pot over high heat until it boils, at this momento, low the heat to minimum and cook for 20 minutes.

The minutes of cooking are an approximation, it depends on the hardness of the rice, you should take care and look if it is done before those 20 minutes.
Once it is done, turn off the heat and let it rest for a few minutes covering the pot with a cloth.

4- Let rice stand, meanwhile toast grated coconut.
Put grated coconut in a saucepan whithout oil, (coconut has its own oil).
 Put the saucepan at low heat , stirr with a wooden spoon. The moment we see that coconut starts to change its color to a light golden brown , we put away from heat and continue stirring.
It will keep on toasting with the remaining heat in the saucepan.
When it reaches the desired color, put the coconut in a dish.

This is the way it should look like:

Sprinkle a little toasted coconut over the rice:

Coconut rice is used to accompany other dishes, but it also is eaten alone. I ate it as a side dish of the fish I will present you next week.

My coments to the recipe

Coconut adds a special softness and taste to the rice, besides grated coconut on top of the rice turns it even tastier, it is easy to cook and a delicious dish.

Here you have a link to my favourite cooking tools where you can find my spices grinder:  

Favourite cooking tools

Kiribati