Arroz de coco

Ingredients

Rice

• 500 glong grain rice
• 400 mlthick coconut milk
• 600 mlthin coconut milk or water
• or 2 fresh coconuts, grated and pressed

To season

• 1onion, finely chopped
• 2garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoonsoil
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• 1bay leaf, optional

To serve

• grilled fish
• lime wedges
• a fresh chilli relish

Directions

1. Crack open two mature brown coconuts. Grate all the white flesh out of the shells. Squeeze the grated flesh hard in your hands. Work over a large bowl in batches. That first squeezing gives thick milk.
2. Set that thick milk aside separately. Add warm water to the same flesh. Squeeze it again for the thin milk. Let a tin settle and spoon off the thick top. Dilute the rest with water for the thin milk. Rinse the rice until the water runs clearer. It keeps the grains separate rather than gluey.
3. Drain the rice really thoroughly. Heat the oil in a heavy deep pot. Fry the onion until soft and translucent. Give it about six minutes there. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Stir the drained rice into the pot. Coat every grain of rice in the oil.
4. Cook it for about two minutes. That toasting helps the grains stay separate. Pour in the thin coconut milk. Add the salt and the bay leaf. The liquid should cover the rice by a centimetre. Add water if there is not enough. Bring it to a boil over a high heat. Taste the liquid before it absorbs. It should taste very clearly salty.
5. Let it boil uncovered for about eight minutes. Now pour the thick coconut milk over the top. Spread it evenly but do not stir it in. Turn the heat right down to the lowest setting. Cover the pot with a tight lid.
6. Let it steam for twenty minutes. Do not lift the lid at any point. Take the pot right off the heat. Leave it covered for ten more minutes. The grains firm up and finish absorbing.
7. Taste it and adjust the salt again. Serving it is always done hot. Pile it onto a serving platter. Serve grilled fish over or beside it. It keeps two days refrigerated.

Technique

• Guinea-Bissau grows rice as its staple grain, and the Bijagos archipelago has its own long-established rice farming practices.
• Coconut milk rice appears along much of the West African coast under different names.

Substitutions

• Tinned coconut milk works well when separated into thick and thin portions.
• Any long grain rice works, and broken rice is common in the region.

Variations

• Some households cook fish or prawns directly in the rice.
• A version with a little chilli in the base is common.
• Adding groundnut paste makes a richer, heavier dish.

History

Common in the Bijagos islands and the coast, where coconut palms grow beside the rice paddies.

Frequently asked questions

What is Arroz de coco?

Arroz de coco is a main from Guinea-Bissau: rice cooked in coconut milk until creamy, served with grilled fish. Common in the Bijagos islands and the coast, where coconut palms grow beside the rice paddies.

How long does Arroz de coco take to make?

Arroz de coco takes 10 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Arroz de coco?

Yes, within limits. Tinned coconut milk works well when separated into thick and thin portions. Any long grain rice works, and broken rice is common in the region.

What is the most important thing to get right in Arroz de coco?

Set that thick milk aside separately. Add warm water to the same flesh. Squeeze it again for the thin milk. Let a tin settle and spoon off the thick top. Dilute the rest with water for the thin milk. Rinse the rice until the water runs clearer. It keeps the grains separate rather than gluey.