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    Home » Pulao » Thengai Paal Sadam | Coconut Milk Rice | Coconut Milk Kuska

    Thengai Paal Sadam | Coconut Milk Rice | Coconut Milk Kuska

    Posted on September 22, 2014 · Last Updated on April 5, 2021 · By Srividhya G · 20 Comments

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    collage of vegetarian kuska with text overlay for pinterest

    Delicious and easy-to-make thengai paal sadam or the vegetarian coconut milk kuska without any veggies! Learn how to make this mild and flavorful rice with step-wise pictures.

    CoconutMilkRiceWithTurnipKurma

     

    You will find different biryani varieties in Indian cuisine, and one of the popular ones is the kuska biryani or plain biryani, or the MT/empty biryani. As the name suggests, it’s a plain biryani without meat but cooked with meat or chicken stock.  

    Here is my vegetarian take on the kuska, and I used coconut milk to cook the rice. Coconut milk enhances the flavor and adds richness and creaminess to this recipe. You don’t need any veggies for this recipe except for onion and tomatoes. The dry spices and mint leaves add sufficient flavor. I didn’t make it as a spicy one. But you can adjust the green chilies as per your preference. 

    Homemade coconut milk or store-bought? 

    For this recipe, I went with homemade coconut milk. For one-half of freshly grated coconut (break the coconut into two halves and grate the one-half), add 1 cup of lukewarm water and grind it. Squeeze out the milk, and this is the first and thick coconut milk. Grind again by adding 1 cup of water and extracting the liquid, the second and thin coconut milk. I used a combination of both thick and thin coconut milk for this recipe.

    But folks, I have tried this recipe with store-bought coconut milk, both thick and light. If I am using light coconut milk, I don’t dilute it. But if I use the thick one, I dilute it with water. 

    Rice to water ratio:

    I follow different water ratios for open-pot, stove-top pressure cooker, and Instant Pot methods, and here are the details.

    Open-pot: For the open-pot method, I use 2 cups of liquid for 1 cup of basmati rice. I went with 3 cups of thick coconut milk and 1 cup of thin coconut milk for 2 cups of water for this recipe. You can use an equal measure of thick and thin coconut milk or adjust it as per your preference. 

    Stove-top pressure cooker: I use 1.5 cups of liquid for 1 cup of basmati rice for this method. Also, I cook for just one whistle, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes. If the rice is aged, then you can cook for two whistles.

    Instant Pot method: For this method, I use 1.25 of liquid for 1 cup of basmati rice, and I always use rice preset for biryani and pulao in Instant Pot. 

    ThengaiPaalSadam

    Coconut milk pulao platter

    This pulao is a weekend staple in our household, and I even share a platter with this recipe – the coconut milk pulao platter. As this rice is mild, I like to serve it with spicy kurma, and our favorite is the turnip kurma. But you can serve it with salna or mushroom kuzhambu or any other spicy curries. 

    Dietary specifications

    The coconut milk kuska is a nut-free, gluten-free, vegan dish. But if you are not particular about dairy products, you can use ghee instead of oil.

    So far, I have refrigerated it for only one day. Trust me, folks, we love this so much that we finish it off in one meal. 

    Now without any further ado, let’s see how to make this coconut milk kuska or the thengai paal sadam.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups basmati rice, rinsed and soaked in water for 20 to 30 minutes
    • 3 cups thick coconut milk
    • 1 cup thin coconut milk
    • 1 bunch mint leaves, 1 cup tightly-packed, remove the stems and clean
    • 2 tbsp oil
    • 1 tbsp fennel seeds
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 2 cardamom
    • 1 star anise
    • 2 small cinnamon piece
    • 1 cup onion, chopped
    • 2 cloves
    • 2 green chilies
    • 1 tomato, chopped
    • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 1.5 tsp salt, or to taste

    How to make thengai paal sadam

    • Wash the rice and soak it in water till you do the preparation work. Then drain the water thoroughly.

    SoakedRice

    • Chop the onions and tomatoes, slit the green chilies into two.

    CoconutRiceIngredients1

    • Prepare the coconut milk as mentioned above in the post. If using, store-bought can dilute it as needed.

    CoconutMilk

    • Remove the stems from the mint leaves and wash them.

    Mint

    • Heat the heave-bottomed pan or kadai and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add fennel seeds. 
    • After 30 seconds, add bay leaf, aniseed, cloves, cardamom, green chilies, and sauté well for two minutes. Do not overcook the fennel seeds, as it turns bitter.
    • Then add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a 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.

    ThengaiPalSadamStep1

    • Then add the soaked rice, followed by 4 cups of coconut milk.

    ThengaiPalSadamStep4

    • Cook over medium flame until ¾ of the liquid is absorbed. Then reduce the heat to low and cover and cook until all the moisture is absorbed. Let it rest for about 15 minutes before mixing. And that’s it; yummy coconut milk rice is ready. Serve hot with kurma of your choice.

    CoconutMilkRice

    Recipe 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.
      • Please check the post for the stove-top pressure cooker and Instant Pot methods. 
      • For the open-pot method, cook the rice in medium heat and keep an eye on the liquid. If needed, add more water. 

    CoconuntMilkRice1

    PS – If you try this coconut milk kuska please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap.  Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates.

    📖 Recipe

    square image of coconut milk rice served in white bowl
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    5 from 5 votes

    Thengai Paal Sadam | Coconut Milk Rice | Coconut Milk Kuska

    Delicious and easy-to-make thengai paal sadam or the vegetarian coconut milk kuska without any veggies! Learn how to make this mild and flavorful rice with step-wise pictures.
    Prep Time30 minutes mins
    Cook Time45 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Tamil Nadu
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 444kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Ingredients

    Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240 ml; 1 tbsp=15ml; 1 tsp= 5ml;

    • 2 cups basmati rice rinsed and soaked in water for 20 to 30 minutes
    • 3 cups thick coconut milk
    • 1 cup thin coconut milk
    • 1 bunch mint leaves 1 cup tightly-packed, remove the stems and clean
    • 2 tbsp oil
    • 1 tbsp fennel seeds
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1 star anise
    • 2 cardamom
    • 2 small cinnamon piece
    • 2 cloves
    • 2 green chilies
    • 1 cup onion chopped
    • 1 to mato chopped
    • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 1.5 tsp salt or to taste

    Instructions

    • Wash the rice and soak it in water till you do the preparation work. Then drain the water thoroughly.
    • Chop the onions and tomatoes, slit the green chilies into two.
    • Prepare the coconut milk as mentioned above in the post. If using, store-bought can dilute it as needed.
    • Remove the stems from the mint leaves and wash them.
    • Heat the heave-bottomed pan or kadai and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add fennel seeds.
    • After 30 seconds, add bay leaf, aniseed, cloves, cardamom, green chilies, and sauté well for two minutes. Do not overcook the fennel seeds, as it turns bitter.
    • Then add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a 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, followed by 4 cups of coconut milk.
    • Cook over medium flame until ¾ of the liquid is absorbed. Then reduce the heat to low and cover and cook until all the moisture is absorbed. Let it rest for about 15 minutes before mixing. And that's it; yummy coconut milk rice is ready. Serve hot with kurma of your choice.

    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.
    • Please check the post for the stove-top pressure cooker and Instant Pot methods. 
    • For the open-pot method, cook the rice in medium heat and keep an eye on the liquid. If needed, add more water. 
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 494mg | Potassium: 393mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 139IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 5mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel
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    Filed Under: Pulao, Variety Rice Tagged With: biriyani with no veggies, Coconut milk, how to prepare coconut milk rice, kuska biriyani, kuska pulav, kuska rice, mild, thengai pal saadam

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Vaishnavi Sivakumar says

      February 05, 2025 at 4:44 am

      Made this coconut milk rice recipe for my office lunch. Its very easy and tasty for busy day morning preps. Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        February 06, 2025 at 4:08 pm

        Thanks. Glad you liked it.

        Reply
    2. Mooga says

      December 30, 2021 at 12:27 am

      5 stars
      Awesome recipe

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        December 31, 2021 at 5:07 pm

        Thanks.

        Reply
    3. Bingingkhana says

      March 28, 2021 at 9:55 pm

      5 stars
      I tried this recipe, it turned out delicious. I made kurma to pair this dish as Vidya recommended. It was nice and yum :)

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 29, 2021 at 2:17 pm

        Thanks a lot trying and giving the feedback. I really appreciate it.

        Reply
    4. kavitaparvathi says

      May 12, 2016 at 10:37 pm

      Looking tempting.. Bookmarked. Gonna, try soon

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 13, 2016 at 7:50 am

        Thanks a lot Kavita.

        Reply
    5. Geethanjali Saravanaraj says

      January 10, 2016 at 7:56 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        January 10, 2016 at 9:00 pm

        Thanks Geetha. Your comment made my day.

        Reply
    6. ranjaniravindran says

      December 14, 2015 at 7:40 pm

      I like to add coconut milk in my pulao, yours look simple and delicious :)

      Reply
      • Vidhya@VVK says

        December 15, 2015 at 7:25 am

        Thanks Pa.. for this I prepare the spicy kuruma so it balances it.

        Reply
    7. vasantha Vivek says

      September 23, 2014 at 2:42 am

      very yummy dish …

      Reply
      • srividhya says

        September 23, 2014 at 9:13 pm

        Thanks :-)

        Reply
    8. Malar says

      September 22, 2014 at 10:46 pm

      Love it Sri…Such a soothing dish :)

      Reply
      • srividhya says

        September 23, 2014 at 9:14 pm

        Yeah :-)

        Reply
    9. Aruna Panangipally says

      September 22, 2014 at 9:55 pm

      This must be so fragrant and flavourful! That you for this recipe, Srividhya. Now counting down to the Kurma!

      Reply
      • srividhya says

        September 23, 2014 at 9:14 pm

        Thanks Aruna :-)

        Reply
    10. Traditionally Modern Food says

      September 22, 2014 at 9:37 pm

      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

      Reply
      • srividhya says

        September 23, 2014 at 9:14 pm

        Thanks vidya.. Let me know how it turned out.

        Reply
    5 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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    Hello all, I am Srividhya, the person behind this blog. I firmly believe that the mouth is the way to the heart. My blog is all about vegetarian and vegan food with unique and exciting recipes from all over the world. From traditional, authentic recipes to fusion and eggless bakes, you can find it all here! Read more →

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