Sunday, March 6, 2011

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.
Coconut Pineapple Rice

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

24 comments:

  1. something very inovaive.Looking delicious.

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  2. Pineapple rice is new to me! looks great...

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  3. yummy combo & I cant imagine the taste..

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  4. Pine apple with chillies must have tasted great!!!! Very Mouth-Watering!!!

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  5. Coconut Pineapple Rice looks so tasty and delicious. Pics look great.

    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  6. lets name ths as pinacolada Rice- very innovative :)

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  7. I didn't know that pineapple and coconut go together..looks great..am sure it tasted delicious!

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  8. very new !! Looks yummy and delicious !!

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  9. Very new combination. Looks nice..

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  10. I made pineapple rice for the marathon last time but didn't have coconut milk to add but the rice was otherwise delicious!

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  11. Nice combe pineapple and coconut milk :) delicious rice :)

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  12. Lovely rice , loved the flavoring of pineapples !

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  13. Wow!!! Awesome combo of pineapple and coconut!!

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  14. never heard of this bfore... hope it would tasted heavenly....
    Dish Name Starts with F
    Learning-to-cook
    Regards,
    Akila

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  15. Yes perfect made for each other combinaton looks delicious champa.

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  16. Nice combo. Looks very tempting. Lovely clicks too Champa.

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  17. Looks delicious! Never cooked with pineapple, except for desserts..

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  18. Hi, how are you? I am looking at all blogs after a long time. I loved this combination of ingredients that you have blogged about. As I cook only with quinoa with these days, I will try it with quinoa. thanks for this recipe.

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  19. I too always think that pineapple and coconut are made for each other. The rice sounds superb and looks delish.

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  20. Never thought of making rice with pineapple and coconut,delicious rice..

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  21. hey thats a delicious combo!....never thought of that!
    yumm!

    Smitha
    Smitha's Spicy Flavors

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  22. umm..pineapple and coconut is an interesting combination for a savory preparation. I have to give it a try.

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  23. What an amazing click, looks beautiful and yum!

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