Tropical Coconut Pineapple Cashew Rice

A fantastic rice dish that has all the great flavors of the tropics… sweet coconut, red curry, fresh pineapple and savory roasted cashews!

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend!  I have some exciting news to share… and I don’t want you all to think I’m bragging (I’m soooo not like that), but when I first started this little blog back in November 2014, I set 2 HUGE goals for myself.  First goal:  To get 1000 email subscribers in the first 12 months.  Second goal:  To reach 100,000 pageviews per month, within the first 12 months.  I am SUPER excited to say… I met those goals with a few months to spare!! *happy dance*.

Now the reason I’m sharing that with you all, is that NONE of that… and I mean NONE… would have been possible without YOU.  That’s right, you 😀  Let’s face it, without readers like you, I might as well just be talking to myself (padded room anyone?) lol.  You guys are the heart and soul of this blog… you guys are why I catch myself smiling like a huge dork (because let’s be honest here, I totally am lol) while I read over comments and interact with you all on social media… you guys are the ones who have given me this amazing opportunity to take my passion and share it with the world!!

I wish I could bake all of you some cupcakes and come deliver them to you!  Wait, is that a little too Creepy McCreeperson?  Lol.  Okay, so I won’t just show up at your door, I promise 🙂

How about I stop rambling and get on to the recipe here huh?  Lol.  Okay, this rice dish is ahhh-mazing!  It’s tropical, it’s fresh, it’s flavorful, it’s easy.  Is there a better combination?

This rice is cooked IN pineapple juice and coconut milk… can’t you just imagine how much amazing flavor it has?!

Rice is a favorite of mine… I love it.  As a side dish to compliment a great entree, like my sweet and sticky coconut rice, or as a main meal, like my simple and easy chicken fried rice!  This one is no exception.

It’s a little bit creamy and sweet, then gets brightened up with fresh cilantro and lime juice.  And let’s not forget about the CASHEWS!  My whole family loves cashews… a LOT.  A whole lot.  In fact… when I bought the cashews to make this rice the last time, I had gone grocery shopping about 3 days before I was going the make it… and, ummm, let’s just say my hubby had to stop at the store on his way home that night, because those cashews…. just magically disappeared.  No clue how that happened….

If you can make plain rice, you can make this.  Just drain some crushed pineapple, reserving the juices.

Add coconut milk to the pineapple juice, and bring to a simmer.

Toss in your rice, drained pineapple, Thai red curry paste, coconut flakes, and spices.  Give it a stir, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Give it a fluff with a fork, just like normal.

Right before serving, stir in the minced cilantro, lime juice and roasted cashews.

The hardest thing about making this rice, is not eating the whole bowl full at once 😉

I think you’ll all really love this one!

Tropical Coconut Pineapple Cashew Rice

A fantastic rice dish that has all the great flavors of the tropics... sweet coconut, red curry, fresh pineapple and savory roasted cashews!

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Recipe Author The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grained rice rinsed until water runs clear
• 1 - 20 oz .can crushed pineapple in pineapple juice
• 1 - 13.5 oz .can unsweetened coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• FOR THE GARNISH:
• 3 Tbsp lime juice or to taste
• 1/2 cup salted roasted cashews
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

• Drain can of crushed pineapple, reserving the juice into a large measuring cup. Add enough coconut milk to equal a total liquid amount of 3 cups. If there's not enough coconut milk, add water to reach the 3 cup line.
• Pour into a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
• Stir in the crushed pineapple and all remaining ingredients (except garnishes). Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, until rice is cooked and no extra liquid remains.
• Keep covered and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Fluff rice with a fork, and right before serving, stir in the garnishes.

Notes

** Make sure not to add your garnishes until right before serving, so the cilantro retains it's green color, lime juice stands out, and the cashews are still crunchy.

** Recipe from Carlsbad Cravings

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