coconut, coriander and pineapple rice

having made the coconut-lime pork and black bean chilli, which calls for pineapple juice, i had a small tin of pineapple rings left to use up. i wanted to cook confit duck and thought this would be a good pairing with the pineapple, given duck’s affinity for fruit (oranges and cherries are the more obvious choices, i think). i decided to take asian inspiration and make a coconut, coriander and pineapple rice.

jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk with a pinch of salt and, in some cases, a bit of sugar seemed to be the most common approach and the end result was pretty good. i omitted the sugar, partly because i was adding pineapple chunks, but also because i didn’t think any extra sweetness was needed. the quantities below gave me a rich coconut flavour and the rice absorbed all the liquid so it had a nice fluffy texture.

coconut, coriander and pineapple rice (serves 2)

200ml coconut milk (i used the low fat version)

150ml water

pinch of salt

150g jasmine rice

handful of tinned pineapple chunks (i used 2 rings)

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander

in a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, water, and salt. stir in the rice and bring to a boil over medium heat. cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the rice is cooked and the liquid absorbed - stir every now and then to prevent it sticking. stir in the pineapple and coriander and serve.