What could possibly be better than a giant bowl of fried rice? Coconut Fried Rice, clearly.
The richness and creaminess of the coconut brown rice, red pepper, onions, and peas, all topped with chewy baked tofu bites and roasted cashews. I mean really, what isn't there to like about fried rice? I know, pick me! All that oil, right?
Fear not, my friends, this entire batch that serves 4- 6 peeps only uses 1 tablespoon of oil, so "fried" isn't even really an accurate word. In fact if you are all savvy at oil free sautéing then you don't even need any oil at all. Yes, it's true, fried rice CAN be healthy! Not only is there a lack of frying, but I used brown rice, and because it's cooked in coconut milk, it gets incredibly soft and creamy. You really wouldn't even notice it was brown rice. For someone who isn't crazy about brown rice (but knows it's better for me) that's a very good thing.
To Make Coconut Fried Rice:
Drain and press the tofu. Chop into cubes and then toss in a bowl with the soy sauce. Let marinate for about 10 minutes or until the soy sauce absorbs into the tofu.
Spread the cubes on a lightly grease baking tray and pop in the oven for 45 minutes, stopping midway to flip them.
In the meantime, add the rice to a medium sauce pan with the coconut milk and water. Cover and put on high heat. As soon as the rice comes to a boil reduce heat to low and cook for about 20-30 minutes. Check every now and then to see that all the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is cooked.
When your tofu is done, remove from the oven and set aside. It's kind of impossible not to eat a million of these tofu bites straight from the oven. I have the burned mouth to prove it. You have been warned.
Heat the oil in a big skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes until they become translucent. Add the red pepper and continue to cook until the onions brown and the red pepper is cooked. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder and sauté for a minute to toast the spices and brown the garlic.
Add in the rice, tofu, cashews, peas and soy sauce and mix well. Heat through, and serve while hot.
Coconut Fried Rice
Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 1 block extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed (see instructions)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
For the coconut rice:
- 1 ½ cups uncooked brown rice
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk + water to make 3 cups of liquid
For the veggies:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or canola oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 cup roasted cashews
- ½ cup fresh or frozen peas
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
Instructions
For the tofu:
- Preheat your oven to 325 F (170C).
- Drain and press the tofu, for tips see The Ultimate Guide to Pressing Tofu. Chop the tofu into small cubes and then toss in a bowl with the soy sauce. Let marinate for about 10 minutes or until the soy sauce absorbs into the tofu.
- Spread the cubes on a lightly grease baking tray and pop in the oven for 45 minutes, stopping midway to flip them.
For the coconut rice:
- In the meantime, add the rice to a medium sauce pan with the coconut milk and water. Cover and put on high heat. As soon as the rice comes to a boil reduce heat to low and cook for about 20-30 minutes. Check every now and then to see that all the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is cooked.
For the veggies
- Heat the oil in a big skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes until they become translucent. Add the red pepper and continue to cook until the onions brown and the red pepper is cooked. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder and sauté for a minute to toast the spices and brown the garlic.
- Add in the rice, tofu, cashews, peas and soy sauce and mix well. Heat through, and serve while hot.
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Christiane says
Definitely a keeper!!! By the way, it also works perfectly with white Basmati rice.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy to hear that. 🙂
Julie says
A great protein packed dish, nothing more to add to increase the protein content. I didnt deviate from the recipe, but added a chilli for a bit of a kick.
Tess says
I made this last night. It was absolutely delicious so I had an extra helping. I've just had it again for lunch. I had excess brussel sprouts growing so used them finally chopped instead of the peas. I will be making this recipe alot. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes that have never failed me 🙂
Sophie says
Your recipes literally never fail. Any time I need a recipe that I don't want to have to worry about it being a flop, like if I'm cooking for someone (or if I'm just tired of recipes that are flops, lol), this is where I come. This fried rice was so good. I've never cooked rice in coconut milk before and it opens up a whole new world of possibilities! Thanks so much for this and all your recipes.
Rob Hebron says
This was obscenely good. Loved the savory explosion from coconut and curry. Wonderful.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Sara says
This is, hands down, one of the best recipes ever. Seriously. This is delicious. All the flavors are so well-balanced! I added red cabbage (because I needed to use leftover cabbage before it spoiled) and it was a wonderful addition
Sam Turnbull says
So thrilled you loved it so much, Sara 🙂
Yummy says
This came out so delicious and was so easy!! I am a horrible cook, nothing ever comes out right, and this tasted amazing (rice came out mushy, but whatever, that always happens to me lol). Even my husband who isn't vegan LOVED it; and he isn't really a fan of tofu, peas, peppers, or soy sauce. You have given me hope that being vegan doesn't have to be difficult and that I can one day bring my husband to my side! <3<3
Sam Turnbull says
Oh that's so awesome! So happy you loved the recipe so much 🙂
Lindsey says
I love this recipe. My husband enjoyed. My boys are not fans. For one it was a texture issue the other thought there was too much seasoning. I even cut the curry in half. On the plus side my youngest discovered that he really likes tofu so that is a win. Thanks for another great recipe!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Happy you enjoyed it, Lindsey 🙂
Amy says
Yuuuuummmm. This was so great. I was starving so cheated and used pre-cooked brown rice. So so so great. I will add pineapple next time to add some sweetness. Sam - you're a genius!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha aww shucks! thank you. Thrilled you loved it so much, Amy 🙂
Alex says
I wasn’t a fan at a first bite but after stirring the food in my bowl again and having more bites I got hooked!(Perhaps I didn’t stir well enough to combine the flavors?) Is it my favorite thing to eat? No, but such an interesting mix of flavors, that I’m not used to.
The only thing that was missing was salt. The recipe doesn’t mention cooking rice in salted water, so I didn’t. I also used low sodium soy sauce, maybe that’s the problem? I added a pinch of salt to my serving and it turned out very good!
Would jasmine rice work in this recipe too?
Bob Bowers says
This looks great but I have a question. Most of your recipes seem to have a "Print" icon to print out the ingredients and preparation steps. This recipe does not, as do several others I have encountered. Why is that? Thank you,
Bob
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Bob! You have really been digging around my blog, love it! Some of my earlier recipes don't have print buttons because I wasn't blogging savvy yet. I've added a print button to this one for you. If there are any others just drop a comment on that post requesting one, and I will happily update. Enjoy! 🙂
Bob Bowers says
Thank you for adding the "print" button. I made this dish yesterday and snarfed about half of it already! Full disclosure....I didn't take time to bake the tofu as I don't like that texture. The uncooked tofu added a (perhaps unnecessary) creaminess to the dish but the pieces held together well. I think I will experiment with using a rich veggie stock rather than the coconut milk and perhaps a green and yellow pepper for color. The best part is that it is a one-dish meal....my fave! Thanks again.
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome! So happy you enjoyed it so much!
Adrienne says
This is one of my most favourite recipes of all time!!! Cooking rice in coconut milk is brilliant! I added dried cranberries (sweetened with apple juice) to this recipe and it was good too! I think a few raisins would be tasty as well 😀
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! So happy it's one of your favourites! Totally flattered. I love the idea of cranberries or raisins. 🙂
Lindsay says
This was SO good! Thank you for posting this! I've been vegetarian for almost 10 years, and surprisingly this was the first time I tried to bake tofu myself. The entire dish was excellent.
Sam says
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed it Lindsay! I love baking tofu, it gets such an awesome chewy texture. 🙂
Tucker says
I know this is an old post, but I have recently switched to a vegan diet, and I wanted to tell you that this recipe was amazing. So amazing that my carnivore husband loved it and asked me to cook it again. Perfection!
Sam says
Just because it's older, doesn't mean it isn't delicious! So glad you and your husband agree Tucker! Congrats on your new vegan adventure and let me know if you have any questions. 😀
Milinda says
This looks and sounds absolutely amazing. And the tofu bites. Why did I never think of this? I will be adding those to my collection of healthy snacks to haul to the office. 🙂
Samantha Turnbull says
Haha! I love baking tofu! It makes it such a great texture! I'm glad you like the recipe Milinda 🙂
Meredith @ Unexpectedly Magnificent says
Oh my goodness, this looks divine! I love fried rice, I love tofu, and I love cashews. A winning combination! 🙂
Samantha Turnbull says
Haha! Thanks Meredith! I'm not going to lie, it is a really good combo! Haha 😉