Author Notes
This is an easy, refreshing, make-ahead salad to bring to a picnic -- or just have on hand to accompany some grilled chicken. —inpatskitchen
Test Kitchen Notes
Inpatskitchen’s recipe for Confetti Coconut Rice Salad is a winner. The sweetness is balanced by the bite of the jalapeño and radish. This versatile dish is great as a side or as a meal on its own: My husband and ate it alongside mussels one night, and caramelized pork loin the next. Since we prefer savory to sweet, I opted to leave out the shredded coconut. The dressing is sweet as well, so I added extra lime. The genius part of the recipe is that it gets better at room temperature! If you're impatient, like me, take it out of the fridge and zap it in the microwave for ten seconds before eating. —eizelle
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Ingredients
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one
13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
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1 cup
water
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1 1/2 cups
jasmine rice
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2 cups
English cucumber, skin on, finely diced
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1/2 cup
red onion, finely diced
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1 cup
red radish, finely diced
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2
jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely diced
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1 cup
dried coconut flakes (sweetened or not)
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1/4 cup
fresh lime juice
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3 tablespoons
granulated sugar
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1/4 cup
grapeseed oil
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1/2 cup
fresh mint leaves, sliced
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Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
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Pour the coconut milk and water into a medium saucepan -- make sure to choose one that has a lid. Heat until the cream on top of the can of coconut milk melts into the mixture. Add the rice and bring to a boil. Let the rice simmer, covered, for 15 to 18 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Cool the rice to room temperature.
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Once the rice has cooled, place it in a large mixing bowl and stir in the diced cucumber, onion, radish, jalapeño, and coconut.
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Whisk the lime juice, sugar, and oil together, then add it to the salad and stir until everything is coated.
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Gently stir in the sliced mint leaves and season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, but bring to room temperature to serve.
I think I get my love for food and cooking from my mom, who was an amazing cook. She would start baking and freezing a month before Christmas in order to host our huge open house on Christmas afternoon. I watched and I learned...to this day I try not to procrastinate when it comes to entertaining.
My cooking style is pretty much all over the place, although I'm definitely partial to Greek and Italian cuisine. Oh yes, throw a little Cajun in there too!
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