This is a tweak to a recipe my father came up with some years ago. My coconut mango rice dish is also a remix to the popular Thai sticky mango rice. Instead of a sweet dessert finish, this recipe is savory dish. It could be better described as a coconut mango pilaf. We used graham mango for this particular recipe. This mango is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The flesh is firm and not stringy or fibrous, which makes it perfect for this rice dish. If you can’t get your hands on graham, a 1/2 to 3/4 ripe julie mango will work just as well.

Coconut Mango Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups rice (washed)
• 2 cups 1/2 ripe mango (cubed)
• 3 cups coconut milk
• 5 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 bay leaf or 1/4 tsp bay leaf powder
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• salt to taste
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Add oil to a pot then sauté garlic for 30 seconds.
2. Add rice and cardamom powder then sauté for 1 minute.
3. Add coconut milk, scotch bonnet pepper and salt to taste.
4. Bring pot to a boil on high heat then cover and allow to simmer on low heat for 12 to 15 minutes until rice is tender.
5. Toss mango in cooked rice.
6. Serve & Enjoy!