Fragrant Ginger Rice

Ginger Rice is a fragrant side dish featuring Jasmine rice, garlic, ginger, creamy coconut milk, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. This aromatic rice is the perfect addition to any meal or main dish but is especially delicious with Asian dishes like curries, grilled meats, and stir fries.

Fragrant ginger rice is a simple, yet delicious side dish that will add a flavourful kick to any meal. It’s as tasty with Massaman Beef Coconut Curry as it is alongside a perfect piece of Simple Cast Iron Salmon. Whatever you serve it with, this fragrant ginger rice is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Ginger Rice

Rice is one of the world’s top grain crops. It’s a main staple of over 100 countries worldwide, and often is eaten more than once a day. I didn’t grow up eating a lot of rice, but I can’t do without it now.

Most of the time I steam white basmati rice in the rice cooker. However, for dinner recipes that call for a little extra effort, I make fragrant Ginger Rice.

This rice dish doesn’t take a lot of effort, especially if you are already preparing fresh ginger and garlic for the main dish. It’s so easy to mince a little more and just add it to the rice!

Next, swap out the cooking water for chicken stock or broth, add some coconut milk and you’ll have a delicious and aromatic side in no time.

This ginger rice recipe can be made in a saucepan or rice cooker, whichever is your preferred method. I like to make it stovetop because it makes whole kitchen smell amazing. Once you try this dish, it will become one of your favourite rice recipes. 

You may even want to eat it as a main because it is so flavourful and satisfying. However, I highly recommend serving it with a delicious Orange Chicken, Instant Pot Butter Chicken, or Honey Garlic Salmon.

The Ingredients

Ginger Rice is essentially coconut rice with added aromatics, namely peeled fresh ginger. As always, when a recipe contains very few ingredients, it is important to use only fresh ingredients to achieve the best flavour profile.

• Jasmine Rice
• Coconut Oil
• Coconut Milk
• Chicken Stock
• Salt
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Lime
• Cilantro

Jasmine rice has a unique floral sweet scent and flavour which combines with coconut in the most magical way. You can use basmati or long grain white rice in this dish; however, Jasmine rice is the most recommended. I would not recommend using brown rice.

For this dish the rice is rinsed, then fried with the aromatics in coconut oil. This ingredient adds a certain depth of flavour and coats the rice so that it achieves the perfect grainy texture as it cooks. If you plan on using a rice cooker, fry the rice with aromatics first, then add them to the rice cooker, along with the other ingredients.

In recipes (such as this one) that require a partial can of coconut milk, I sometimes use powdered coconut milk and rehydrate it according to package instructions. Coconut milk comes in can sizes of 14 oz, but sometimes you can find 8 oz or even 5 oz. You will need 1 cup or 8 oz of coconut milk for this recipe.

Use homemade chicken broth or stock where you can or purchase a high-quality store-bought chicken stock.

Fresh ginger root, garlic cloves, fresh cilantro, and fresh squeezed lime juice are also required for this recipe.

How to Make Ginger Rice

Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer. Rinse the rice with cold water until the water becomes mostly clear. Allow the water to drain out completely.

Next, heat the coconut oil in a medium sized pan, then add the rice. Fry the rice, stirring constantly, until it turns from opaque to white. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant.

Stir in the chicken stock, coconut milk, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat and cover.

Simmer gently for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the lid and test the rice. If it is dry and needs more cooking time, add a few more tablespoons of water, cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

When the rice is soft, yet still individual grains it is done cooking. Remove from heat and allow the rice to sit for 5 minutes with the lid on. Then remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro.

How to Make Perfect Rice

Are you tired of stodgy, sticky, or crunchy rice? The perfect bowl of rice contains tender rice that is cooked through but still holds the individual shape of each grain. Here is a short guide to cooking the perfect bowl of coconut ginger rice.

1. Rinse the rice in cold water. Use a fine mesh sieve and really give it a good rinse. This will remove any impurities and any excess starch. The water will never be crystal clear, but you will notice it become less cloudy as you rinse.
2. Soak the rice for an hour. This step isn’t necessary, but it helps open up the pores in the rice grains, allowing them to absorb more coconut milk and aromatic flavour.
3. Toast the rice in coconut oil. This will give the final dish an extra depth of nutty coconut flavour.
4. Dilute the coconut milk. Adding coconut milk with chicken stock infuses each grain with extra flavour.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. A light simmer is all you need to cook rice perfectly. Keep the lid on throughout this step until you test at the end.
6. Do not stir rice. Stirring rice will break up the tender grains.
7. Allow the cooked rice to rest. Once the rice is tender, let it sit (covered) for 5 minutes to allow any excess moisture to be absorbed. More absorption means more flavour!

Storing Leftovers

If you have any leftover Ginger rice, allow it to cool to room temperature. Place the rice in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator and consume within 4-5 days.

To freeze the rice, place room temperature rice in a freezer bag and remove most of the air while sealing the bag. Freeze the rice for up to three months.

If you make this Fragrant Ginger Rice recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making! Thank you so much for reading my blog.