Coconut Rice with Brussels Sprouts
Delicious Brussels sprouts with coconut rice recipe, featuring fresh basil, mint, avocado and a spicy Thai soy sauce. It's a quick and easy dinner or lunch!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 12, 2024
I can’t help but draw a comparison between making a cookbook and having a baby. Now I have never had a baby, but hear me out. They are both very big endeavors, with long incubation periods. Once combined with everyday duties, keeping up becomes about twice as difficult.
I’m nearing my “due date,” and can hardly believe that I’ll have a finished cookbook someday. I’m scrambling and struggling and suffering from frazzled cookbook brain. I can’t wait to be done, but I’m also a little scared of what may come.
Watching friends produce cookbooks is also similar to watching friends have babies. They’re both stressed and excited, overwhelmed and hopeful. You don’t get the full picture of what they’ve been making until it’s all done and you are so very, very proud of their good work.
That’s exactly how I felt when Jeanine and Jack’s cookbook (they’re the couple behind the blog Love and Lemons) appeared on my doorstep. I think I texted her about ten high-five emojis in a row. The Love and Lemons Cookbook is just perfect—it’s overflowing with colorful photos, gorgeous high-contrast typography, creative recipes, and cooking variation charts that are as helpful as they are beautiful.
It’s truly “an apple-to-zucchini celebration of impromptu cooking,” as the front cover suggests. I flipped through the book and found this amazing Brussels sprout recipe, and I just happened to have everything in my fridge to make it.
Jeanine and Jack were working hard on the book last February, when Ali and I frequented their beautiful house in Austin for wine and snacks. Jeanine is a graphic designer turned food blogger and I knew her book would be spectacular. Her husband, Jack, runs a video game company and takes all the photos. They make a great team.
This Brussels sprouts dish jumped out to me when I first flipped through the book, and it’s just as delicious as it looks on their pages. I’m not sure I would have thought to combine mint, basil and avocado with coconut rice and seared Brussels sprouts, but they all came together perfectly, in Jeanine’s characteristic light and flavorful style. I’m sure you’ll see the combination again soon.
This recipe is a simple dinner or lunch. Fair warning: I couldn’t stop eating it and didn’t end up with as much leftovers as I’d hoped for! I made just a couple of minor substitutions, including swapping brown jasmine rice for white (it’s all I had). You can find Jeanine’s instructions for white jasmine rice in the recipe notes, in case that’s what you have at home.
I hope you’ll get a chance to try this recipe soon, and be sure to get a copy of their cookbook. The book officially comes out tomorrow, so hurry and pre-order it today! It’s a cookbook that you’ll want to leave out on your coffee table when you’re not cooking from it in the kitchen.
Jeanine’s Coconut Rice with Brussels Sprouts
Delicious Brussels sprouts with coconut rice recipe, featuring fresh basil, mint, avocado and a spicy Thai-inspired soy sauce. It’s a quick and easy dinner or lunch! Find this recipe and more like it in the Love and Lemons Cookbook. Recipe yields 2 to 4 servings, depending on how hungry you are.
Ingredients
Coconut rice and Brussels sprouts
- 1 cup brown jasmine rice or regular jasmine rice*, rinsed
- 1 ¼ cups canned light coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 2 cups halved Brussels sprouts
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- ¼ cup torn fresh basil
- ¼ cup torn fresh mint
- 1 small avocado, pitted and diced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Sriracha and lime wedges, for serving
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 2 small garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoons coconut sugar or cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 Thai chilies, diced, or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cook the rice (see notes for white rice instructions): If you’re using brown rice like me, combine the coconut milk and 2 cups water in a medium pot. Bring it to boil over medium-high heat, but stay nearby because it likes to bubble over. Add the rice, stir, and reduce heat as necessary to prevent it from boiling over. Let the rice simmer away, uncovered, for 30 minutes, then strain off any excess liquid and return the rice to the pot. Cover the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and cover again to keep warm.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, garlic, lime juice, vinegar, sugar, water and chilies. Set aside.
- Cook the sprouts: Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the sprouts, cut side down, along with a pinch of salt. Let them sear until the cut side becomes golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Toss and continue cooking for an additional 7 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the green onions during the last 2 minutes of cooking, then remove the pan from heat.
- Divide the rice into bowls and top with Brussels sprouts, sauce, basil, mint, avocado and sesame seeds. Serve with sriracha and lime wedges on the side.
Notes
Recipe minimally adapted from The Love & Lemons Cookbook by arrangement with Avery Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2016, Jeanine Donofrio.
*If you’re using white jasmine rice, here are Jeanine’s instructions: Combine the rinsed rice and coconut milk in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 more minutes, then fluff with a fork. Alternatively, cook the rice in a rice cooker according to the manufacturer’s directions for white rice, but use coconut milk in place of water.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use a certified gluten-free tamari, not regular soy sauce.
Make it soy free: You might be able to use coconut aminos in place of the tamari.
Change it up: Jeanine suggests that asparagus, broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, red bell peppers and roasted butternut squash are all great in this dish.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I made this last night and it was deeeelish,and really simple! I’ve recently discovered you and love everything I’ve made so far, I need the cookbook now! Great Job!
Delish! If you have leftovers- this is just as great warmed up a few days later as a fried rice! Warmed the cold rice and veggies all together in the sauce and added an egg.Topped it off with all the fresh herbs and avo. I also used coconut water instead of milk for my rice and it turned out nice and coco-nutty.
Sounds like a great way to use the leftovers, Ashely! Thanks for your comment and review.
Incredible recipe!
The sauce for this recipe is so dang good. One of my favorite recipes from you. I’m not huge into brussels sprouts, so I sub in asparagus (per your recommendation) and it’s wonderful. Love, love, love this dish!
Wonderful! Thank you, Sarah.
I made the brussells sprouts with the sauce and mint/basil/sesame seeds, and it was great as a side dish at a dinner party I was hosting! Typically the vegetables are always left over, but the brussels sprouts were the first to go (even before the potato dish). One guest commented that she would start making sprouts with mint too– :)
Thanks for sharing, Flora!
I get an organic veg box delivered weekly and this week received some brussels sprouts, so went searching for a recipe. This one worked a treat – hubby said the sprouts were a revelation! Normally he finds them a bit ‘meh’ but he loved the texture of the seared sprouts in this recipe. I didn’t have any sriracha so made do with tabasco and a fresh (medium heat) chilli. I also subbed some of the other ingredients (eg, mint sauce instead of fresh mint), but the main ones were there. Thanks.
I’m glad this one made you like them, Terri! I appreciate your review.
My coconut rice did not turn out (my error), but the sprouts came out great as a side dish. My guest commented on how nice the mint went with the sprouts :)
I’m sorry to hear that! But, I’m glad there was still wonderful feedback.
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! SO much flavor and good variety of ingredients. I loved the idea of cooking the rice in coconut milk. I’m always a fan of your recipes, and thank you for introducing me to an additional source of bright, delicious recipes! I’m definitely going to check out Love and Lemons in the future as well :)
You’re welcome!
Can I substitute cauliflower rice for the jasmine?
Sure, although you won’t be getting the same hearty aspect and missing some protein.
My husband and I made this last night. He cannot stop raving about it. The flavors are absolutely a perfect combination and so easy to make. This will be on our rotation list.
This is one of my favorite bowls! I made it several times a month. I use Serrano Chiles instead of Thai. I usually add some broccoli or zucchini to bulk it up. Love all the flavors!
The flavors were incredible!! I served it with roasted beets and sweet potatoes and that made for such a colorful bowl! I only thought about taking a photo after we had each almost finished our bowls! Thank you for sharing and I will check out Jeannie’s book & website.
Also, so glad to hear of Cookie’s good recovery!!
Thank you for your review and kind words about Cookie, Marie! We appreciate it.
I was a bit doubtful about this combination at first but am very happy with how it turned out and how the flavors combine! Thank you :)
I’m glad it was a nice combination for you, Cali! I appreciate your comment.
We’ve been eating this dish for over two years now; it’s one of our monthly staples! We’ve found that adding red bell peppers and mushrooms to the sautee is our favorite modification. We also double the sauce recipe because…well…we love sauce! Thanks so much for developing this stellar meal.
That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Adrienne.
This was fantastic! The only thing I would change is to make more sauce. It would be good on so many other things. My avocado was very ripe and was perfect for this…giving a rich buttery flavor and texture to the dish. I will be making this again and again and again…
I have canned coconut milk and when looking up how to cook it the info says never boil; keep it on simmer. I have white jasmine rice so do I boil or not for this recipe? Thx.
Hi jcw, This recipe will turn out if you follow the directions. Let me know how it goes!
Hi! In the instructions it doesn’t say at what point to add the sauce. I’m assuming it’s to the Brussels sprouts as they’re cooking?
See step 4.
It’s too late now, but what do you do with the sauce? Does it go on the rice cold or do you heat it a little with the brussels?
Made this last night, even though I really wasn’t sure about the Brussels sprouts ;-)
Happily the recipe turned out to be absolutely delicious! Added some halved cherry tomatoes to the bowls. Will try with other vege combinations in future – thank you!