Coconut Pineapple Rice

Do you know why 'Pina Colada' was invented?
I know. That is because pineapple and coconut are made for each other.
So, I used them, didn't bother to use the booze and made this rice.
I used green chillies because that comes with the territory of being an Indian, particularly South Indian.
Then why Cashews? you might ask. That is because I had read a recipe for a thai curry which uses pineapple and cashews together and it looked amazing.
I guess it was easier to make this rice than to write about it.

One Year back - Panettone
Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup (I used sona masoori)
Pineapple - 20 Oz can of chunks drained and juice reserved (See Notes)
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Water - 1 1/2 cup
Reserved pineapple juice - 1/2 cup
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 TBSP
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 5  slit lengthwise or to taste
Curry leaves - a few
Cashews - 1/4 cup
Cilantro - 3 TBSP chopped for garnish

Method:
Rinse rice well and drain. In a saucepan, bring the coconut milk, pineapple juice, water to a boil. Add a pinch of turmeric, a bit of salt and add the rice. Stir and let it cook till done. Let it cool and fluff with a fork. Set aside.
In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves, green chillies and cashews. When cashews are toasted, add pineapple. Sprinkle some salt and let pineapple cook for couple of minutes. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Add the chopped cilantro and stir. Adjust the seasonings if required. Turn off the heat. Serve warm or cold. I challenge rice haters to try this. This was awesome.

You could use fresh pineapple. You don't have to use pineapple juice at all. Just use more water. If you are using fresh pineapple, use about 2 cups chopped pineapple.

Notes:
The rice I used takes 1 cup to 2 1/2 cups water. If you use basmati which takes less than 2 cups water per cup of rice, adjust the water, pineapple juice and coconut milk accordingly. When you cook rice with coconut milk, you will have to use more to get the rice cooked properly. That is why the combined liquid in my recipe is more than the usual ratio of rice to liquid. I could have added some green peas to give color to the end product, but thought about it late in the process.

Now over to my fellow marathoners,
30 Minutes Meals: Gayathri Anand
Baked Goods: Monika,
For On Going Events: Gayathri Kumar, Usha
Kids Friendly: PJ, Savitha, Smitha, Srivalli, Veena Aravind
Rice Varieties: Champa, Divya, Padma

Enjoy. Pin It