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Aromatic coconut shrimp rice with a hint of tropical paradise
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Coconut Rice (African style)

I am showing you how I make one of my all time favorite dishes, coconut rice. The fragrant smell alone is enough to make anyone fall in love with it!
Course Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Cuisine African
Keyword coconut rice, homemade, rice
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 9
Calories 421.5kcal
Author Lola Osinkolu

Ingredients

For the Chicken

  • 1.5 pounds turkey wings or chicken quarters cut into smaller sizes
  • 1 onion diced (divided for chicken and rice)
  • 1 scotch bonnet Ata Rodo
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 2 teaspoon bouillon powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups water

For the Rice

  • 3 tablespoon coconut oil or any other cooking oil
  • Remaining diced onion
  • 1 habanero minced
  • ½ cup tatashe or any other savory, non-spicy pepper
  • 2 tablespoons crayfish
  • 3 cups rice
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 2 cups chicken stock from the boiled chicken
  • 1 cup mixed bell peppers diced (green, yellow, and red)

For the Shrimp

  • 1 lb shrimp cleaned and deveined
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoon coconut oil

Instructions

Prepare the Chicken

  • Rinse the turkey or chicken pieces thoroughly.
  • Add them to a pot with half the diced onion, scotch bonnet, minced ginger, garlic, thyme, curry powder, bouillon powder, salt, and bay leaf. Stir everything together.
  • Pour in the water and stir. Cover and cook over medium heat until the meat is tender (about 15 minutes).
  • Once cooked, separate the turkey from the stock. Set both aside.
  • Transfer the turkey/chicken to an air fryer or pan-fry in a shallow oil.

Cook the Rice

  • In a clean pot, preheat coconut oil over medium heat. Add the remaining diced onion and stir-fry until translucent. Stir in the crayfish, roughly blended tatashe, and habanero.
  • Pour in the coconut milk and the reserved chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the washed and drained rice, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is done, approximately 20 minutes.
  • Prepare the Shrimp and Bell Peppers
  • While the rice is cooking, season the cleaned shrimp with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
  • Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the seasoned shrimp and pan fry on both sides until cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  • In the same pan, if needed, add a little more oil. Add the diced bell peppers and stir-fry until slightly tender-crisp. Add the air-fried (or pan-fried) turkey/chicken to the bell peppers and stir to combine. Remove from heat.

Combine and Serve

  • Once the rice is cooked, gently stir in the bell pepper and chicken mixture, along with the cooked shrimp.
  • Stir everything together until well combined. Serve hot.

Notes

 
  • Be sure to rinse the rice before cooking it. This will reduce the starch content in the rice a bit.
  • Cook the rice on a low simmer to prevent it from burning
  • The can coconut milk works best for this recipe not the ones in the cold milk section.
  • For this recipe, I used basmati rice, however, you can use any type of rice you like but note that cooking time varies for different types of rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 421.5kcal | Carbohydrates: 54.9g | Protein: 7.7g | Fat: 19.6g | Saturated Fat: 16.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.4g | Cholesterol: 6.1mg | Sodium: 208.5mg | Potassium: 287.6mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 1.7g | Vitamin A: 92.9IU | Vitamin C: 5.5mg | Calcium: 39.3mg | Iron: 2.5mg