Let's see... the first time I had cilantro-lime coconut rice was quite a few many years back now. Right about when I first started getting into cooking. As far as I can remember, my mom and I were trying to come up with a rice to go with a Thai inspired dish that wouldn't be quite so traditional.
I remember that I was more than a little apprehensive because coconut is not one of my favorite flavors and I hadn't yet really been exposed to the wonderfulness that is coconut milk. My attitude towards coconut started to change with this rice right here.
One of the great things about cilantro-lime rice is that it can pair well with almost any Asian, Thai, or even Indian style dish. Yes, I've been known to sneak it in with a Mexican style dinner as well, though I usually leave the coconut milk for that variation!
If you're like me, and are a little leery of coconut flavor most of the time, I would suggest that you at least try this rice once. This is one of the only few known ways that I will eat coconut anything. The flavor of the coconut milk in this recipe is muted and really just gives more of a creaminess to the rice rather than an actual full on coconut flavor.
To make this rice better-for-you, I used a light organic coconut milk and a great organic single origin basmati rice from The Real Co. With such few ingredients, there really isn't anything more than that which you could do to make it more healthy!
This basmati rice from The Real Co. comes directly from Gujrat Punjab from Farid Co-op Farm, is 100% natural and 100% Single Origin; low-GI and pre biotic; non-GMO and is gluten free.
The Real Food Co., Inc. was founded in 2013 in Valley Cottage, New York with a direct farm-to-market approach for the organic food industry. The new 100% Single Origin Foods concept supports farms at their source, cuts out the middleman, and delivers directly to the U.S. market, cutting costs of products compared to other manufacturers.
Cilantro-Lime Coconut Rice
TheSkinnyFork.com
The Skinny:
Servings: 4 • Size: About 3/4 Cup • Calories: 218.3 • Fat: 4.7 g • Carb: 39.1 g • Fiber: 1.5 g • Protein: 3.1 g • Sugar: 2.6 g • Sodium: 230.3 mg
Ingredients:
6-7 C. Water
1 (13.5 Oz.) Can Lite Coconut Milk
1 C. Basmati Rice (I used The Real Co. Brand.)
1/4 C. Cilantro, Chopped
1 Lime, Zested & Juiced
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Directions:
Bring the water and coconut milk to a boil.
While the water and coconut milk are heating up, rinse the rice in a colander for about a minute.
Once boiling, add the rice into the water and coconut milk; reduce the heat to simmer and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
Drain the rice and leave sitting in the colander for another minute before adding back into the pot.
Toss the cilantro, lime zest and juice to the rice.
Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.
Enjoy right away!
I served mine with these amazing Skinny Turkey Sriracha Meatballs.
