Sri Lankan Ginger-Scallion Coconut Rice Bowl

About This Recipe

Coconut milk rice, or kiribath in its festive form, and gotu kola or other tempered vegetable dishes are genuine staples of everyday Sri Lankan eating, usually served alongside a fiery sambal for contrast. This bowl draws on that real combination, cooking rice in coconut milk until rich and fragrant, then topping it with a punchy ginger-scallion sambal and vegetables tempered with curry leaves and mustard seeds, the classic Sri Lankan tempering technique known as tempering or tadka in the broader South Asian sense. The rice absorbs coconut milk the same way it would for kiribath, though this version keeps it savory rather than the traditionally plain, milk-rich celebratory dish, seasoning it lightly with salt and a pandan leaf if available for aroma. A quick tempering of mustard seeds, dried chile and fresh curry leaves in hot coconut oil, poured sizzling over sauteed green beans or cabbage, is the technique that gives so many Sri Lankan vegetable dishes their distinctive aromatic crunch. The ginger-ballast sambal, pounded or finely chopped with scallion, chile and lime, adds real heat and brightness that ties the coconut rice and tempered vegetables together into a full, satisfying bowl.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1.5 cupsbasmati or white rice(rinsed)
• 1.5 cupscoconut milk
• 1 cupwater
• 0.75 tspfine sea salt
• 3 tbspcoconut oil
• 1 tspblack mustard seeds
• 10fresh curry leaves
• 2dried red chiles
• 300 ggreen beans(trimmed and halved)
• 2 tbspfresh ginger(minced)
• 3scallions(finely chopped)
• 1green chile(minced)
• 1 tbsplime juice
• 2 tbspgrated coconut(fresh or desiccated)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the coconut rice

   Combine rice, coconut milk, water and salt in a pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 15-18 minutes until tender and the liquid is absorbed.

2. 2

   Temper the spices

   Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and let them pop, then add curry leaves and dried chiles, frying 30 seconds until fragrant.

3. 3

   Cook the green beans

   Add the green beans to the tempered oil and stir-fry 6-8 minutes until tender-crisp and lightly charred in spots.

4. 4

   Make the ginger-scallion sambal

   Combine minced ginger, scallions, green chile, lime juice, grated coconut and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.

5. 5

   Assemble the bowls

   Fluff the coconut rice and divide among bowls. Top with the tempered green beans and a generous spoonful of ginger-scallion sambal.

Variations

• •

  Extra protein: top with a fried or hard-boiled egg for a heartier bowl.

• •

  Different vegetable: swap green beans for shredded cabbage or gotu kola (pennywort) for a more traditional tempered green.

• •

  Spicier sambal: add more green chile or a pinch of dried chile flakes to the ginger-scallion mixture.

Storage

Refrigerate rice and tempered vegetables separately in airtight containers up to 3 days. Store the sambal separately, as it's best made fresh; make a new batch if it's been sitting more than a day.

Frequently Asked Questions