Instant Pot Coconut Rice

Soggy, strangely sweet, and topped with bland tofu, my first experience with coconut rice was terrible. It was also my first experience with tofu, and that probably didn’t help. Being seven years old didn’t really lean in my favor, either. I remember picking at my bowl and barely eating, even though the rule in our family was “you eat this now or you go hungry.” 

I eventually learned to like tofu, but managed to steered clear of coconut rice for twenty years, traumatized by that experience. So, I’m not really sure what possessed me one day in February when I decided to make my own coconut rice. I shocked myself further when, halfway through the first bowl I thought, needs more coconut, and served myself seconds. 

It turns out, I love coconut rice. That first sample was far too long ago for me to remember what was wrong with it. But, now I find myself on quite the coconut rice kick — it’s the perfect side for Thai dishes. 

All you need is rice, water, coconut milk and a sprinkle of salt. I find that the salt is necessary because it keeps it savory rather than sweet. In other applications, maybe you would want to swing more sweet and in that case you could skip the salt.

Of course, cooking it in an Instant Pot is also key, which is the only way I cook rice because it’s fool proof and SO EASY. (I’m a home cook that tends to get distracted, or maybe just tried to juggle too many things at once. Cooking rice on the stove is a gamble: Will she burn it this time? But cooking rice in the Instant Pot is right on the mark every time, no matter how many other things I’m trying to do.)

Instant Pot Coconut Rice goes wonderfully with this Thai Basil Beef, or any stir fry, really.

Instant Pot Coconut Rice

Published April 24, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups jasmine rice 
• 1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 1-2 pinches salt 
• 1/4 cup toasted coconut
• Minced cilantro or green onions for garnish

Directions:

1. Add rice, coconut milk, water, and salt to Instant Pot and set to Rice setting with the vent turned to the sealed position. Timer should be set for 12 minutes.
2. When timer goes off, open vent to release pressure. Serve hot topped with minced cilantro/green onions and/or toasted coconut.

Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Creamy Wild Rice, Chicken & Mushroom Soup (Instant Pot recipe!)

This creamy soup with wild rice, chicken, and mushrooms is comfy, cozy, homeyness in a bowl. 

One of my favorite dishes from childhood was wild rice with a cream of chicken and mushroom. It was my dad's signature, and was super satisfying. This soup is the "grown up" version of that dish: it's made using whole, raw ingredients (no soup mix here!), which I think gives it even more flavor than the version I grew up with. And while most wild rice soups ask you to make a roux with flour, this recipes skips that step all together. I don't think you'll miss the roux... made in a slow cooker (I use the slow cooker setting on my Instant Pot), the rice in this soup gives it an extra creamy texture, and the addition of half-and-half at the end makes it stick-to-your-bones good. 

Soup season is something I look forward to because soup is just the right sort of creative playground for trying different flavors. Specifically, creamy flavors. Yes, I have been on a bit of creamy soup kick: first this homestyle sausage & potato soup, and now this. Adding a little bit of cream to soups makes them infinitely more cozy... try coconut milk, like in this Lemongrass Chicken Soup, or cheese, like this artichoke provolone soup, or even puréed cauliflower, like this cauliflower & parsnip soup. And of course, make this wild rice concoction. This soup, I think, is one you need to make before the end of the month. Your Instant Pot is begging you. 

Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Creamy Wild Rice, Chicken & Mushroom Soup

Published February 6, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 6   |    Total Time: 30 active minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 pound chicken thighs OR breasts - boneless, skinless 
• 1 cup wild rice, uncooked
• 1/2 c white wine
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced - (crimini, baby bella, and white mushrooms all work well)
• 1 cup half-and-half 
• To serve: 1/4 cup minced parlsey

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in the bottom of your Instant Pot on the Sauté setting. Add diced onions, celery, carrots and garlic.
2. Sauté until the onion is transparent, and then add the salt, black pepper, thyme, bay leaves, chicken, rice, white wine, and 4 cups of broth to the pot. Turn pot to “Slow Cooker” setting and cook on high for 8 hours with the vent in the sealed position.
3. After 8 hours, release any steam and open the pot. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove chicken from soup and set in a large bowl. Use two forks to shred chicken. Then, return chicken to pot and stir.
4. Cook the mushrooms: heat remaining 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a skillet until it glistens. Then, sauté the mushrooms until they are softened through and seared on both sides. Add cooked mushrooms to soup, along with 2 remaining cups of broth and 1 cup of half-and-half. Stir.
5. Serve hot in bowls, topped with minced parsley.

Favorite Curried Red Lentil & Chickpea Stew with Cauliflower & Sweet Potato

This stew, heavy with red lentils, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and coconut milk, may seem like a bit of an "everything but the kitchen sink" type of recipe, and you wouldn't be wrong if you guessed that. One cold evening last winter, I pranced around the kitchen adding this and that to the Instant Pot, letting the ingredients lead the way. It's almost by accident that this stew is what it is, but ever since it's become a favorite at our table. 

I am a big fan of Indian Daal, but sometimes wish it had a bit more to it. Extra veggies, or something to chew on. That desire is what lead me to this soup in the first place, I think, which is why I know you'll love it: it's the same spicy, savory flavor of Indian Daal, but with a new age twist incorporating cauliflower, sweet potato, and chickpeas. 

Cauliflower & sweet potatoes go with coconut curry like they were made for it. Their starchiness and subtle sweetness are the perfect backdrop for ginger, garlic, and brown mustard seeds. A splash of lime brightens everything. And chickpeas--far and away my favorite legume- make this soup feel more substantial than a regular lentil soup. 

Soak your lentils throughout the day (or even overnight) to make them easier to digest. This has the added benefit of making them cook faster too. After just a few minutes in an electric pressure cooker, the lentils are creamy and soft. 

P.S., Snow is falling slowly out our window right now. It's barely snowed here this year, despite it already being January, so it feels like a treat. We're going to need a cozy stew to warm us up this evening! This stew is just the thing to bring spoonfuls of cozy to your guests. 💛

For a legume-free recipe inspired by these same flavors, try my Butternut Squash Coconut Curry (it's Paleo-friendly and vegetarian/vegan). 

Favorite Curried Red Lentil & Chickpea Stew with Cauliflower & Sweet Potato

Published January 30, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 8   |    Total Time: 15 active minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 cup dry red lentils
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil 
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3-4 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 green chile pepper, minced (serrano or jalapeño— serrano is the more mild option)
• 2 cups diced sweet potatoes 
• 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, strained 
• 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon ground curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1-1/2 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt & ground black pepper, or to taste
• 3-4 cups vegetable broth 
• Garnish: lime wedges & minced cilantro 

Directions:

1. In the morning, place lentils in a soup pot and cover with water. Place a lid on the pot, and allow lentils to soak for 8-12 hours. Once ready to cook soup, pour lentils through a strainer, discarding the water. Set lentils aside for later use.
2. Turn Instant Pot to “Sauté” setting and heat coconut oil until it glistens. Add minced ginger, garlic, and diced onion to pot, and sauté until fragrant.
3. Add cauliflower, green chile, diced sweet potatoes, lentils, chickpeas, coconut milk, canned tomatoes, curry powder, cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric, salt & pepper to the pot and stir. Pour in enough broth to cover all the ingredients easily (there should be a about 1 inch of liquid over the top of the lentils), and then secure lid on Instant Pot. Turn to “Bean/Chili” setting, and set timer for 5 minutes with the vent in the sealed position.
4. When timer goes off, release pressure and stir stew. Ladle into serving bowls and sprinkle with minced cilantro and a lime wedge.