Coconut & Lime Baked Rice
Perfectly tender & fluffy coconut baked rice is super easy to make & incredibly delicious! Finishing the rice with a squeeze of fresh lime juice cuts through the creaminess from the coconut.
This coconut & lime baked rice is so good, I don’t think I’ll ever cook rice any other way again! It’s an easy, hands off way to cook rice & guarantees perfect results every time. Simply give your rice a really good wash & soak, chuck it into a baking dish with some warm coconut milk, water & a chicken stock pot then bake for half an hour or so, until tender. Then to finish, we squeeze fresh lime juice over the rice then fluff it up with a fork before serving.
When I made my baked rice, I served it with my tikka masala roast chicken and smashed cucumber & cashew salad! However, it goes really well with curries, grilled steaks & chops and pan fried fish. In fact, it goes great with pretty much anything, it’s that good!
What You’ll Need
- Basmati Rice – This coconut baked rice uses basmati rice, which has a liquid to rice ratio of roughly 2:1. Make sure to give the rice a really good wash & a 30 minute soak before using!
- Coconut Milk – For the best flavour, it’s best to use full fat coconut milk. This recipe uses 400ml of coconut milk which is 1 tin.
- Stock Pot – For extra flavour, I like to add a chicken stock pot into the coconut milk but feel free to use vegetable stock or leave it out if you’d prefer.
- Lime Juice – Coconut & lime go really well together! We’re squeezing fresh lime juice over the baked rice just before serving, to cut through the creaminess from the coconut milk.
How To Make Coconut & Lime Baked Rice
Baking is such an easy, hands off way to cook rice & it guarantees fluffy, delicious rice every time! This baked rice uses a combination of full fat coconut milk & chicken stock for the best flavour. We’re going to be finishing the rice with a squeeze of fresh lime juice which cuts through the creaminess from the coconut.
Step 1 – Washing The Rice
Before we cook the rice, we need to give it a really good wash, followed by at least 30 minutes of soaking in cold water. This removes excess starch from the rice which makes it fluffier once cooked & not sticky!
How To Wash Rice
- Add the rice into a mixing bowl then rinse under cold water, agitating the grains with your fingers. Once the water turns cloudy, drain it off then rinse again. Keep repeating this process until the water is clear.
You’ll need to drain the water off at least 5 times before it will turn clear! - Cover the rice with cold water then leave to soak for at least 30 minutes.
- Once soaked, drain the rice well before cooking.
Step 2 – Warming Up The Milk
Once the rice has been soaked, we drain it well then add it into a 10″ baking dish. Next, we add coconut milk, water, salt & a chicken stock pot into a large saucepan, bring it to the boil over a medium-high heat then immediately pour it over the rice, stirring to distribute.
Step 3 – Baking The Rice
As soon as the milk has been added to the rice, we cover the dish with foil then bake at 190°c/374°f for 30-40 minutes, until the rice is tender & all of the liquid has been absorbed. To check the rice, take a quick peek under the foil to see if it’s done!
Step 4 – Add Lime & Fluff Up Rice
Once the rice is cooked, we let it stand for 10 minutes (covered in foil), squeeze the juice of a lime over the rice then fluff it up with a fork. We can then serve the rice straight away!
Frequently Asked Questions
Basmati & jasmine rice are the best varieties for baking. However, basmati & jasmine rice have slightly different ratios of rice to liquid, so keep that in mind!
Washing & soaking rice removes excess starch, which will make the cooked rice fluffier & not sticky! It’s important to wash the rice until the water runs clear then let is soak for at least 30 minutes.
To make coconut baked rice in an Aga, warm the coconut milk up on the simmering plate then bake the rice on a grid shelf placed on the floor of the roasting oven.
Once baked rice is done, all of the liquid will have been absorbed & the rice will be tender.
I find that coconut baked rice is best served straight away & isn’t really suitable for reheating. Rice is a high risk food, so if you do have any leftovers, it will need to be stored in the fridge & reheated until the rice is piping hot.
More Side Dishes To Try!
- Creamy Mustard Butter Beans With Smoked Ham Hock
- Dauphinoise Potatoes
- Courgette Tzatziki
- Bombay New Potatoes
- Sweet Pickled Red Cabbage
- Fried Jasmine Rice
Watch How To Make This Recipe
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Coconut & Lime Baked Rice
Equipment
- 10" Round Baking Dish
- Large Saucepan
- Mixing Bowl
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 300 g Basmati Rice
- 400 ml Coconut Milk (See Notes)
- 250 ml Water
- 1 Chicken Stock Pot (Or Veg Stock!)
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- 1 Lime
Instructions
Soaking The Rice
- First, add the rice into a mixing bowl then rinse under cold water, agitating it with your fingers. Once the water turns cloudy, drain off the water then rinse again. Keep repeating this process until the water is clear.You'll need to drain the water off at least 5 times!
- Next, cover the rice with cold water then leave to soak for at least 30 minutes.
Baking The Rice
- Whilst your rice is soaking, preheat an oven to 190°c/170°c fan (374°f/338°f).
- Once the rice has been soaked, drain it well then place it into a large baking dish. I used a 10" round one.
- Next, add the coconut milk, water, stock pot & salt into a large saucepan then set it over a medium-high heat. Heat the milk, stirring to dissolve the stock pot & bring it up to the boil.
- As soon as the coconut milk has come to the boil, pour it over the rice, stirring to distribute evenly then cover the dish with foil.I like to place the dish onto a baking tray as this makes it easier to take it out of the oven.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the rice is tender & has absorbed all of the liquid then leave to rest for 10 minutes, still covered with the foil.
- To finish, squeeze the juice of a lime all over the rice then fluff it up with a fork. Serve immediately.
