I call this yellow coconut rice as I add turmeric powder and the color turns out to to be yellow. You can skip turmeric powder and the result will be Thai coconut rice.
Cooking time - 15 minutes
Ingredients
Basmati Rice / white long rice - 1 cup
Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
Green chilly - 2 no: (adjust according to spice)
Cardamom - 4
Shallots / pearl onions - 8
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Warm water - 2 cups
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tspn
Whole spices
Cloves - 2
bay leaf -1
cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece
Method
1. Wash and soak the basmati rice for half an hour.
2. Grind the grated coconut, green chill, shallots, turmeric powder, cumin and half cup of warm water. Extract the milk from this. This is the first milk or thala pal.
3. Grind the mixture again with remaining warm water and extract the milk from it.
4. Heat some oil in a deep bottom pan and sizzle the whole spices
5. Saute the soaked rice in it for a minute.
6. Add the second extracted milk with the ground mixture.
7. Bring it boil and add the first milk.
8. Add salt and cook till the rice is fluffy and all the liquid is absorbed.
Serve hot with an curry of choice.
Notes
1. Coconut oil can be used.
2. The quantity of the extracted liquid taken should be according to the instructions in the rice packet. If it say 1 cup of rice needs 2 cups of water the the extracted liquid should be 2 cups (first milk + second milk)