Coconut Milk Rice or Vegetarian Kuska Rice is a mild flavorful rice prepared without any veggies but with just dry masalas. The highlight of this recipe is the rice is cooked in coconut milk instead of water. The enhances the flavor and adds richness and creaminess to this recipe.
Couple of my friends gave me coconuts while giving haldi kukum for navratri and couple of my North Indian friends gave theirs too to me as they know I use coconut regularly. But what will I do with 4 coconuts? So I tried my all my coconut favorites other than coconut rice :-). Here is the first one, coconut milk rice. When you don’t feel like chopping veggies and preparing pulav or biryani, you can prepare this mild and easy coconut milk rice. As I mentioned above, we cook the rice in coconut milk. No water required for this dish, except for soaking and cleaning :-)
Here is the simple recipe,
Ingredients:
- Thick coconut milk – 3 cups
- Thin coconut milk – 1 cup
- Basmati rice – 2 cups
- Mint leaves – 1 bunch
- Oil – 2 tbsps
- Fennel seeds – 1 tbsp
- Bay leaf – 1
- Aniseed – 1
- Cardamom/Elaichi – 2
- Cinnamon – 2 small sticks
- Cloves – 2
- Green chillies – 2
- Half of medium onion chopped
- Tomato – 1
- Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
- Salt – 1.5 tsps
Method:
- Wash the rice and soak it in water till you do the preparation work.
- Meanwhile chop the onions and tomatoes, slit the green chillies into two and wash the mint leaves.
- Heat the pressure pan or cooker and add oil.
- Once the oil is hot add fennel seeds.
- As they start to splutter add bay leaf, aniseed, cloves, cardamom, green chillies and sauté well for two minutes.
- Then add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for couple of minutes.
- Now add the mint leaves and sauté well till the raw smell goes away.
- Add the onions and sauté till they become translucent.
- Then add tomatoes and salt. Saute for a minute and then add the soaked rice.
- Add 4 cups of the coconut milk and pressure cook it for unto 2 whistles. If you are not using pressure cooker, cook in medium flame till the 3/4 of the water is absorbed and reduce the heat to low and cover and cook till the all the moisture is absorbed. Let it rest for about 15 minutes before mixing.
And thats it, yummy coconut milk rice is ready.
As this is a mild version, I would prefer it along with kuruma than raita. And yeah you guessed it right, the next dish that I am going to post is kuruma. :-)
Notes:
- Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
- Instead of 4 cups of coconut milk, you can add 2 cups of water + 2 cups of coconut water.
- If using pressure cooker, don’t let it cook more than 2 whistles.
- If you are cooking in pan, cook the rice in medium heat and keep an eye on the coconut milk level.

- Thick coconut milk - 3 cups
- Thin coconut milk - 1 cup
- Basmati rice - 2 cups
- Mint leaves - 1 bunch
- Oil - 2 tbsps
- Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
- Bay leaf - 1
- Aniseed - 1
- Cardamom/Elaichi - 2
- Cinnamon - 2 small sticks
- Cloves - 2
- Green chillies - 2
- Half of medium onion chopped
- Tomato - 1
- Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
- Salt - 1.5 tsps
-
Wash the rice and soak it in water till you do the preparation work.
-
Meanwhile chop the onions and tomatoes, slit the green chillies into two and wash the mint leaves.
-
Heat the pressure pan or cooker and add oil.
-
Once the oil is hot add fennel seeds.
-
As they start to splutter add bay leaf, aniseed, cloves, cardamom, green chillies and sauté well for two minutes.
-
Then add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for couple of minutes.
-
Now add the mint leaves and sauté well till the raw smell goes away.
-
Add the onions and sauté till they become translucent.
-
Then add tomatoes and salt. Saute for a minute and then add the soaked rice.
-
Add 4 cups of the coconut milk and pressure cook it for unto 2 whistles. If you are not using pressure cooker, cook in medium flame till the 3/4 of the water is absorbed and reduce the heat to low and cover and cook till the all the moisture is absorbed. Let it rest for about 15 minutes before mixing.
Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
Instead of 4 cups of coconut milk, you can add 2 cups of water + 2 cups of coconut water.
If using pressure cooker, don’t let it cook more than 2 whistles.
If you are cooking in pan, cook the rice in medium heat and keep an eye on the coconut milk level.
Looking tempting.. Bookmarked. Gonna, try soon
Thanks a lot Kavita.
Tried the coconut milk rice today with spicy kurma…I added a little change to kurma by adding a tsp of chilli powder,a tsp of coriander powder and 1 and half tsp of Eastern kitchen king masala….. The result was awesome also substituted sona masoori for basmati… My kids really enjoyed it…. Thank you for the wonderful recipe vidhya ji.. Will follow all the recipe post of yours from now on.
Thanks Geetha. Your comment made my day.
I like to add coconut milk in my pulao, yours look simple and delicious :)
Thanks Pa.. for this I prepare the spicy kuruma so it balances it.
very yummy dish …
Thanks :-)
Love it Sri…Such a soothing dish :)
Yeah :-)
This must be so fragrant and flavourful! That you for this recipe, Srividhya. Now counting down to the Kurma!
Thanks Aruna :-)
My aunt prepare vegartable rice with coconut milk so i have tried that once. Love the rice texture Sri:-) your version looks simple will try soon
Thanks vidya.. Let me know how it turned out.