May 16, 2009

Lite Coconut Milk - Mint Pulao

First

There are only good memories associated with this recipe. One of my mom's best dishes, which in order to perfect took innumerable attempts for me. She uses wonderful thick first-press coconut milk from home grown coconuts and it gives it this rich texture and taste.
The only changes I made from her recipe, is using lite canned coconut milk (fewer calories!) and adding my favorite herb on this planet... Mint.

So, when I say attempts, it involved using a varied combination of fresh coconut milk, canned coconut milk, light canned coconut milk, brown rice, and then white rice.
This recipe is traditionally prepared using white rice in my family, but since I have switched to brown rice, I did initially try with it. It was absolutely tasteless! Not a good idea!
See, the part of enjoying this is the subtle taste of the coconut milk hitting you when you bite into the rice. My brown rice failed to absorb anything at all! And tasted like I cooked it with water instead of luscious coconut milk.
There are certain dishes that are not meant to be changed, and I guess this is one such recipe. If you are making this, use only White rice, there I said it!
Using basmati rice will enhance the experience, if not just use Jasmine or any long grain rice.

The rice grains after being cooked, should be light, fluffy and not mushy. Here's how I did it.

First 1

Lite Coconut Milk - Mint Pulao

Ingredients:

White Basmati Rice - 3 cups
Mint - A bunch
Lite Coconut milk - 3 cups
Water - 2 cups
Dry Bay leaves - 2
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon stick - 1
Dry Star anise - 1
Whole Cardamom - 2
Whole pepper - 3
Green chillies - 1 small chopped
Ginger - 1 inch chopped
Garlic - 3 cloves chopped
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - To taste
Roasted cashews - 2 tbsp

Method:

Clean and soak rice with some water for 15 minutes.

Finely chop mint, or use a blender like I did and grind the leaves with a few drops of water till they are mushy.

In a pan, add oil, when hot add all the spices, fry for a minute then add green chillies, garlic, and ginger. Saute well.

When all the above ingredients are well roasted, drain water completely from the rice (use a strainer), and mix it will the spice mixture.
Roast the rice till it turns opaque and the oil coats the grains of the rice completely. Add the ground mint and salt.
Mix well.

Transfer to a rice cooker, add the coconut milk and water. Mix thoroughly. You may need more or less water depending on the type of rice/cooker you are using.
My rice cooker senses the amount of liquid and cooks accordingly. If you are using a regular cooker/ a different type of rice cooker, then check the water content.

When done, add a tsp of oil and fluff the rice with a fork. Check for salt. Garnish with roasted cashews and mint. Serve with onion raita.

Last

Sending this dish to:

Nags's Monthly Mingle #33 - Ravishing Rice Recipes
Ashwini's JFI:Mint

93 comments:

  1. I agree .. I make coconut rice with basmati and the rice soaks up well .. does turn a little sticky though.
    Mint with coconut mulk sounds wonderful Anudivya! :-)

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  2. woww..its lokkin wonderful..

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  3. Hey this is very appealing! I am sure gona try it soon...Any special suggestions for the rice to come seperated as urs?

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  4. WOw the plat eof mint pulao looks beautiful and delicous.

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  5. Yeah, I totally agree with you white rice tastes better than brown rich in some authentic dishes... and invariably I prefer to stick on to white rice when recipes are handed over by Mom, grandma and aunts... Rice looks yummy and I remember having this at my inlaws with a spicy kurma as side...

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  6. Oh! This is such a wonderful recipe! Yes the brown rice will not be good with the elegant coconut milk. tho it tastes good with the bold soy sauce & all. I will make this for a party;-) The photo is stunning!

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  7. Lovely combination anu...the dish looks tempting :)

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  8. Lovely and healthy platter of rice.Yes,it will taste good with white rice only it seems and bland with brown.Also what exactly is the difference bw lite and normal cocomilk .Does lite mean thin milk ?I am a bit confused.The plate looks too inviting.Enjoy

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  9. Hi Anu,
    Love the look of the rice :) anything cooked in coconut milk am ready for it :) hmmm....ur opinion on Mom sealed recipes is very true :) if we want the taste better stick to what mom says! ;) you've got it beautifully fluffy girl, good job!
    Enjoy!
    TC

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  10. Looks perfect...Nice and clean pic..

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  11. wow.. nice entry .. looks perfect & delicious.. great click..

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  12. Beautiful photographs of what looks a delicous pulav.Will ask my daughter to make this weekend.Thanks.

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  13. That rice looks sooooo delicious. Love coconut rice and you've made it low-cal and yummier. great pics.

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  14. My Ammas thengai pal biriyani recipe too. I love this recipe for the simple ing involved. You can send it to JFI mint at Ashwini’s Spicy Cuisine.

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  15. Wow ! very tempting..awsome pics as usual.
    I will try this weekend ...thanks for sharing :)


    Thanks for ur comments@ my blog Keep visiting :)

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  16. The pictures are spectacular, Anu!

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  17. Pulav looks healtheir and divine...

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  18. I always like to try new rice dishes when I am making Indian food. Even just a little extra flavor makes such a difference! This one sounds lovely!

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  19. Wow! This rice looks amazing. There's a persian restaurant with a dill pulao that I used to eat all the time before I moved to a different side of town. I miss it so. But I love coconut milk even more than dill so I guess my problem's solved!

    Haha you're probably right. My mom saved me a lifetime of junk food impulse buys at the grocery store from an early age :)

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  20. That dish must be incredibly fragrant!

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  21. was wondering why the rice dint look brown? ha ha ha then I read your story...so u do have basmati rice at home....good to know.BTW looks really inviting...lots cashews...me like!

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  22. I agree with you..For some dishes long grain rice is best suited! I too had a similar experience before. The mint pulao looks delicious..must have been very flavourful with mint, spices and coconut milk..heavenly!

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  23. i agree..why waste precious coconut milk calories on brown rice which cannot bring out the right flavour. This shall be made soon.

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  24. this looks so heavenly, love the presentation., the pulav looks so appetizing dear

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  25. This looks just incredible! I tried something with coconut milk, mint and noodles once because I never cook rice properly but maybe I'll try your recipe. Thanks for sharing :)

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  26. I agree some of the rice varieties cannot be substi with brown it doesn't go well :) Ur rice is very pretty and fragrant!
    Btw did u change ur prof pic? All this days u ve been in diet? U look totally different in this latest prof :)

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  27. Mint with coconut milk .. looks great anudivya ..... i do coconut milk palav but a few mint leaves ..

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  28. Looks fantastic. Nice picture.

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  29. Hey Anu,
    I absolutely loved the recipe. I'm kinda addicted to coconut. So this one with coco milk is a winner.Have book marked this recipe and will make it when I have guests:)

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  30. Hey good to see ya back .. Nice pulao .. I love mint

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  31. Wow looking great..yummy pulav...

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  32. wow..mint pulav looks delicious...

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  33. Beautiful rice dish, lovely clicks with plenty of cashews!

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  34. This looks and sounds WONDERFUL. I look forward to trying this dish soon.

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  35. I love this recipe! So easy and so crowd friendly :)

    I know what you mean about brown rice :| I've had some things that I tried in my attempt to go all brown rice and they were so bad that I had to cook something else!

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  36. minty pulav looks so delish. love the idea of adding coco milk.

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  37. this dish looks gr8.

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  38. lovely pictures... love how the rice is fluffed up - I always end up making mushy rice :(

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  39. pulao looks wonderful divya.. sapda varalama?

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  40. looks yummy!
    Check my blog tomorrow. I have 'nice' surprise for you!!!!

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  41. the freshness of the mint wit the roasted cashews ..i feel like spooning in the rice rite away..as usual, amazing pics which capture the effort behind!!

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  42. I agree Anu, adding coconut milk enhances the flavor and richness...Looks absolutely gorgeous and perfect.

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  43. i got fruit salt from indian stores... check it out there.

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  44. Looks great! I can smell the mint here... Really nice presentation...

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  45. hey u r back :-) Good to see u in action again. Yummy recipe!

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  46. I havent ever tried with coconut milk..have to do soon..cos this is so tempting..:)

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  47. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving ur comments Anu...
    Mint rice is looking great... and also the click :)

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  48. Looks like you can send ur entry to this event for mint
    http://ashwini-spicycuisine.blogspot.com/2009/05/announcing-jfimint.html

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  49. you don't have to strain the shake.. all the nutrients will be gone if you do so....

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  50. gonna try this for sure,..looks so yum,,

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  51. THe pics are so tempting. The recipe is amazing. Just love the flavour of mint. Adding coconut milk must give a distinct taste..have to try:-)

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  52. Sounds pretty simple!should be perfect for lunch boxes!

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  53. Looks really delicious... and great garnishing..

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  54. Looks delicious. Wow! mouth watering & lovely color.

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  55. looks yumm.i love coconut milk in pulao..

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  56. nice flavor full recipe looks yum with those cashews nic pic.

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  57. Wow,looks perfectly done pulau!Nice presentation!

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  58. I have lots of mint in my pot,the flavorsome puloa sounds so good with it,just have to stock up on coconut milk,frankly I never used it in my cooking.I alternate with brown and white rice depending on the recipe,I know BR doesn't work very well with some of the authentic Indian dishes.

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  59. Looks yum and Mint is my fav too

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  60. good one.. looks yummy..

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  61. I love mint very much as well as cashew so I must give this a try.

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  62. That looks so rich and I love how your rice is all fluffed up!

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  63. Nothing tastes better that an freshly pressed coconut milk. I too prepare this the same way. Yummy and very tasty. Tempting pictures.

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  64. It looks extremely yummy.. :) Nice blog on the whole. I am new to the kitchen and I find ur blog so interesting. Keep it going.. Gonna be ur follower from now.. :) Do take a look at my blog when u find time..

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  65. Looks so wonderful anu..

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  66. wow..looks really tempting :-)

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  67. this looks so so good! I only make a plain and comparatively boring version :D

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  68. I love the sound of this..and yes, some recipes are not meant to be tampered with!

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  69. i don't eat a lot of rice, but this sounds irresistible! i so adore everything coconut milk adds to a dish, and the other ingredients all sound appealing as well!

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  70. lovely recipe and wonderful click.

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  71. lovely recipe n grt clcik...n presentation...

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  72. Nice click and a delicious dish! I too have tried mint and coconut pulao, and i simply love it!

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  73. awesome!!!! beautiful shot!

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  74. Wow this looks fabulous. And the pix are great!

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  75. Do you made your coconut milk or buy the canned ones? I have tried canned coconut milkl they seem to have an odd smell :( and I bought a coconut to extract the milk- it was rotten inside Agrhhhhhhh... I am trying coconut powder in the desi store now. Fist thing I would want to try is this pulao!! :)

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  76. Coconut milk in rice ...hmm sounds so amazing.I agree white rice suits better for authentic dishes.These days the availability of canned coconut milk makes life so easy.Good one Anu:)

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  77. I made mint pulao over the weekend....but I added fresh coconut instead of coconut milk....will give it a try to ur version...looks really refreshing and tempting

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  78. I made mint pulao over the weekend....but I added fresh coconut instead of coconut milk....will give it a try to ur version...looks really refreshing and tempting

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  79. AnonymousMay 21, 2009

    My mouth is salivating... I need to buy some basmati rice ASAP- but first I have to wikipeidia the difference between white and basamati-- lol

    As for the meal, anything with coconut makes me drool...

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  80. Sounds like this would be a very flavorful rice, a must try for sure...

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  81. Hello Anudivya
    what a beautiful looking rice platter this is, very tasty oh wow.
    i must try it one day..

    thanks very much to stopping by, i love your blog for i will come back more...

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  82. This is my mother in law's signature dish too but I have not prepared it so far. I recently bought brown basmati rice for the first time thinking that it's going to smell exactly like the white but was disappointed. The texture is good and we like the chewiness of brown rice but I felt deprived of the basmati aroma.

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  83. This is a nice dish.I can imagine how the brown rice will not do too well.I too make something like this but I grind corriander with the mint.
    Looks lovely,simple and beautiful click.

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  84. I've always wanted to try this mint pulao recipe that I've had forever. I just might try yours out first.

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  85. The picture looks good enough to eat. Thanks for sharing a wonderful recipe. I am going to try it soon.

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  86. looks lovely! my mom adds coconut milk to her biriyaani sometimes. thanks for the entry :)

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  87. i agree with u brown rice is good for certain dishes not for pulao or biriyani..it never absorsb any flavour.. i luv the addistio of mint to coconut pulao...

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  88. Im hungry now! And I just ate!

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  89. Pic looks so yummy, nice buns too, superb clicks..overall very nice presentation

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  90. Lovely! I love the colour mint rice imparts, and I can imagine the wonderful flavor!

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  91. wow the rice looks yummy and delicious in the picture. I am soon going to make it. You can visit my blog and view my recipes and give ur comments

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Happy cooking/baking or whatever it is you are doing in the kitchen! :)