Coconut lemongrass rice with mushrooms! Even the name of this recipe makes me start to crave it. Don’t let the simplistic nature of this rice fool you. This rice packs a punch of flavor and is easily paired with various proteins. With that said, I could easily sit down to a bowl of this rice alone and be completely content.
Wow, I never thought I would be writing a blog let alone a blog post all about rice.
Rice didn’t become a THING in my life until long after meeting and marrying my husband. He is Filipino so rice has pretty much always been a part of his life. Rice at almost every dinner was a given. White rice. Not fancy rice with a handful of adjectives before the word rice. It was not sprouted or wild or soaked. It was white rice plain and simple.
I just didn’t get the affinity for white rice. Throw in my fear of all things carbs, especially WHITE CARBs (Ahhh!), and I rarely ate white rice. Every now and then I would make some brown rice or wild rice to appease my husband’s rice desires but that was about it.
Over the years (more than a few) my carb fear has dwindled and I started to enjoy rice more often. I think my husband was counting the days until I would become a full fledged rice nut like him. Guess what? It finally happened.
I think my rice obsession became apparent while pregnant with our first son. I was sick with morning sickness for the first 20 weeks (yes, half of my pregnancy!) and white rice was one of the few foods I craved. When I was pregnant with our second son, the same thing happened. Déjà vu! Thank goodness for rice! That is one statement I never in a million years thought I would proclaim.
Rice is now totally a thing in my life. I actually look forward to the dinners I plan that include rice. Although white rice itself doesn’t have much nutrition to offer, we have found ways to spruce it up a bit. We tend to cook the rice in chicken or beef broth as well as had some quality butter and salt. Also, try to remember that not all food must offer the ideal nutrient density. Sometimes we eat foods for how they make us feel or the memories we share.
Most often, I make this rice using our Instant Pot pressure cooker which has been our go-to ever since our rice cooker fizzled out. That was a very sad day by the way. Just in case you prefer to use your rice cooker or the stove pot, please do so. The stovetop directions are included in recipe. If you are using your rice cooker, modify the liquid amounts as necessary for your cooker trying to maintain similar coconut to broth ratio.
Ginger. Lemongrass. Coconut milk. These are all strong flavors. Strangely, though, when prepared together for the coconut lemongrass rice, the flavors mellow out a bit. They work really, really well together.
I love mushrooms! Mushrooms cooked in butter are even better. By the time I am done “sampling” the mushrooms as they cook, my pan looks empty. I really need to start doubling the mushroom amount to account for my sneaky fingers.
When I cook the mushrooms, I let my butter start to brown slightly (not burn) then add in my mushrooms giving them a slight brown butter flavor. You want the mushrooms to have an almost sweet, golden brown flavor. Some crispy bits are always a nice contrast as well. Seriously, I love mushrooms cooked in butter.
Let’s say you are one of the odd ones out there (Just kidding…sort of!) who doesn’t care for mushrooms. That is ok! Leave them out. I like adding them for a texture contrast, but you could really add anything else that sounds good to you. This coconut and lemongrass rice with mushrooms is really all about the tender, fluffy morsels of rice scented with the flavors of coconut, ginger, and lemongrass.
Hopefully, you will find your tastebuds lost in these flavorful grains of rice as I am! Please let me know if you try this recipe by leaving a comment below.
Coconut Lemongrass Rice with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 3 cups long grain white rice See Notes
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- 1 large piece lemongrass cut in half
- 2 tsp ginger
- 1 cup mixed mushrooms piopino and blue oyster in mine
- 2 tbsp butter
- salt
Instructions
- Rinse rice with cold water until water runs relatively clear.
- Using a mallet, gently pound the lemongrass stalks to help release their flavor.
- Finely mince or zest the ginger.
- Pressure Cooker Instructions. Put rice into pot of Instant Pot. I used the smaller Instant Pot for this rice recipe.
- Add in coconut milk, chicken broth or water, lemongrass, and minced ginger.
- Stir to combine.
- Ensure lid is closed and sealed. Set timer to cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes. Once 3 minutes are done, let it naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, use quick release valve to release any remaining pressure.
- Carefully remove lid. Proceed to step 11.
- Stovetop Instructions. Put rice, coconut milk, broth or water, lemongrass, and ginger into medium size pot.
- Over medium-high heat bring contents to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover with lid. Let rice simmer covered for 15 minutes. Then remove from heat, keeping lid on, and let rest for 10 minutes. The residual heat in pot will continue to steam rice to complete the cooking.
- While rice is cooking, prepare the mushrooms. Warm a sauté pan over medium heat on stove. Once pan is hot, add in butter. Let butter start to brown slightly, then add in mushrooms. Season lightly with salt.
- Occasionally stir mushrooms to avoid burning. You want mushrooms to be a golden brown. When mushrooms are done, remove from heat and season with any additional salt and pepper desired.
- Using a fork gently fluff the rice. Season rice with salt and a dash of pepper.
- Place rice into bowls and garnish each bowl with some of the mushrooms. Enjoy!
Notes
[nutrifox id=”28316″]
Sounds delicious! I don’t usually experiment with rice. I also tend to only make rice when it goes along with something – say, goes in a soup, or is topped with a curry, etc. But my 3 year old loves rice, and so I should make it more often.
I happen to have dried lemongrass in my pantry, from Penzey’s. Do you have a guess as to how much of that I would want to use in this?
Thanks Leona! I was thankful when my son who just turned 4 finally started liking rice about 6 months back. I couldn’t believe that it was a natural taste preference for my half filipino son. Crazy! We tend to hide other nutritious ingredients in rice as well when needed. Our favorite and, oddly, our boys as well is sardines mixed into the rice and topped with raisins. Strange but totally works. As for the lemongrass, I did a little internet research and learned that it is best to cut the lemongrass amount in half when using dried lemongrass. Start with half and then adjust up if needed. The info also warned against using dried lemongrass in any dish that is relatively dry such as a stir fry. Since this rice dish starts with ample amount of liquid, it will probably work. I think what i would do is soak the lemongrass in the coconut milk or broth/stock or even water for a short bit to rehydrate and maybe bring out the flavor a bit more. Let me know how it works if you give it a go. Cheers!