Coconut Rice - Delicious and Nutritious!

Super-Star Staples

Of more than 50,000 edible plant species in the world, only a few hundred (known as "staples") contribute significantly to human food supplies. Just 15 crop plants provide 90 percent of the world's food energy intake, with rice, maize and wheat comprising two-thirds of human food consumption. Rice alone feeds almost half of humanity providing more than one fifth of all the calories consumed worldwide by the human species.

Rice Rocks!

Genetic evidence has shown that all rice originates from a single domestication 8,200–13,500 years ago, in the Pearl River valley region of China.  Because of its importance as a staple food, rice has considerable cultural importance. Rice is often directly associated with prosperity and fertility, which is the origin of the custom of throwing rice at weddings.  Pound for pound rice has the highest energy content of any of the other common staple foods.  And is extremely rich in Thiamine or Vitamin B1 (helps prevent Alzheimer's, Optical Neuropathy, and Beriberi), Pantothenic Acid or Vitamin B5 (assists in healing wounds, hair health, and blood lipids), and Folic Acid or Vitamin M (reduces the risk of birth defects, and helps prevent several types of cancer).

Coconut Rice

Both coconut and the rice-plant are indigenous to many of the same places around the world so it's no surprise that people have found many delicious ways to combine the two.  Some coconut rice dishes are made by cooking the rice in coconut milk rather than water, and others incorporate grated coconut into a fried rice dish.  Coconut rice recipes are found in many cultures throughout the world (spanning across the equator from the caribbean to southeast-Asia).

How to make amazingly delicious coconut rice at home:

• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1 cup Shredded Dried Coconut (I used sweetened but you could also use unsweetened)
• 2 cups White Rice (could be done with brown rice but you'd need to increase the water)
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• 1 bunch Green Onions - chopped
• 3 Tbsp Cilantro - chopped leaves and stems
• 1 Tbsp Annatto Oil (optional - a natural coloring sometimes called "poor man's saffron")
• 4 cups Water (use 5 cups if using brown rice)

Fry the shredded coconut in the coconut oil until lightly browned.  Add the chopped green onions, salt, cilantro, and the rice and continue to fry for 3-4 minutes.  Add annatto oil if desired and mix well.  Add the water and stir well.  Cover and reduce the heat to medium.  Simmer for 20 minutes or so until all the water is incorporated.  Fluff the rice with a fork and serve alone or with a stir fry.