Vietnamese Coconut Rice
This com dua recipe cooks jasmine rice in coconut milk with a knotted pandan leaf, a pinch of sugar and salt, until every grain is fragrant and tender. It is a plain coconut rice side — no mango, no dessert toppings — made to sit beside savoury Vietnamese dishes. One serving is about 185 g.
Coconut rice is cooked all around the tropics, wherever coconuts and rice grow side by side, and every region has its own version — from nasi lemak in Malaysia to arroz con coco on the Caribbean coast. In Vietnam, com dua is the home version: plain jasmine rice simmered in coconut milk with pandan, served as a savoury side with grilled and braised dishes. It is not a dessert — unlike Thai mango sticky rice, which uses glutinous rice and is served sweet with ripe mango.
Pairs well with: Serve beside grilled pork, caramelised fish or a vegetable curry.
Provenance
Vietnam
Vietnamese Home Cooking
East & South Asia
Time Dedication
35m
10m prep • 25m cook
Batch Yield
4 Servings
457 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 185 g
Technical Skill
Easy
Easy (One Pot)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Prime Metabolic Fit
Dinner
Ideal Hearty Main
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Vietnamese Home Cooking
Photo: Andy Li, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Low — about $1–2 per serving at home (USD)
Vietnamese coconut rice: jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk with pandan, served as a savoury side — never a mango dessert.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Rinse the Rice, Measure the Coconut Milk
10 Mins • Prep Work
Rinse the jasmine rice in cold water, swirling it with your hand, until the water runs almost clear — this keeps the cooked rice fluffy instead of gummy. Shake the coconut milk can, measure the milk and water, and knot the pandan leaf.
Maestro Tip: Rinsing is the step that decides the texture: skip it and the rice clumps; rinse well and every grain stays separate.
5 Mins Cold water, about 10°C (50°F)
Put the rice in a bowl, cover with cold water and swirl with your hand. Tip the cloudy water away and repeat 3–4 times until the water runs almost clear, then drain well.
The water never needs to run perfectly clear — almost clear is enough.
Done when: Rinsing water is nearly clear; rice is clean and drained.
5 Mins Medium heat, about 100°C (212°F) at a simmer
Put the rice, coconut milk, water, sugar, salt and knotted pandan leaf in a heavy pot with a tight lid. Stir once, bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then stop stirring.
Stirring after this point breaks the grains and makes the rice gluey — one stir is all it gets.
Done when: The liquid is bubbling gently around the edges of the rice.
15 Mins Low heat, about 90°C (195°F)
Cover with the tight lid, turn the heat to the lowest setting and leave the rice to steam for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid.
If your lid is loose, lay a clean tea towel under it to trap the steam.
Done when: No liquid is visible; the rice has swelled and smells of coconut and pandan.
10 Mins No heat — resting, about 70°C (160°F)
Take the pot off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes. Lift the lid, pull out the pandan leaf and fluff the rice gently with a fork, lifting from the bottom so the grains stay whole.
The rest is part of the cooking — it lets the last steam finish the grains evenly.
Done when: Rice is tender, fluffy and fragrant, with separate glossy grains.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Fluff gently with a fork, scatter with toasted sesame seeds and shredded coconut, and serve warm.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
457
kcal / serving
Protein
7g
Complete AA
Carbs
67g
Complex
Fats
18g
Healthy
| Energy | 457 kcal |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 67 g |
| Fat | 18 g |
| Fibre | 3.2 g |
| Sugar | 4.8 g |
| Sodium | 305 mg |
| Energy | 247 kcal |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 36 g |
| Fat | 9.9 g |
| Fibre | 1.7 g |
| Sugar | 2.6 g |
| Sodium | 165 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Coconut milk adds manganese and copper, and the rice supplies B vitamins and quick energy.
Quick, Gentle Energy
About 66.6 g of carbohydrate per serving from the rice, giving steady energy for the middle of the day.
Simple, Plant-Based Side
Rice, coconut milk, pandan and a little sugar — no animal ingredients at all, so it suits a vegetarian table.
Easy on the Stomach
Soft, well-cooked rice with no chilli or heavy spice is gentle and easy to digest.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Sides
Grilled Pork
Smoky, savoury grilled pork is the classic partner — the rich coconut rice soaks up its juices.
Vegetable Curry
A mild vegetable curry spooned over the rice turns the side into a complete, comforting meal.
Vegetables
Cucumber Salad
Cool, vinegary cucumber cuts the richness of the coconut milk and keeps the plate fresh.
Drinks
Iced Tea
Unsweetened iced tea refreshes the palate after the creamy, fragrant rice.
Complete menu
Com dua with grilled pork, cucumber salad and iced tea.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Lifting the Lid While It Steams
Every peek lets steam escape, so the top grains stay hard while the bottom overcooks. Leave the lid on for the full 15 minutes. This is general food information, not medical advice.
Too Much Coconut Milk
Extra coconut milk does not make the rice creamier — it makes it greasy and heavy. Keep to the measured amounts. This is general food information, not medical advice.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
Storage & Use
Vietnam
3h 30m
Slow-simmered star anise and cinnamon bone broth with hand-cut rice noodles, supplying clean restorative warmth and collagen. One serving is about 775 g.
Immunity & Warming
Slow-simmered bone broth with rice noodles, rare beef and fresh herbs.
Vietnam
1h 5m
Fresh rice paper rolls filled with poached prawns, tender pork, rice vermicelli, lettuce, herbs and carrot, served with a peanut dipping sauce.
Light Digestion
Nothing is fried, so the rolls stay light and fresh — a cool, herb-filled snack for hot days.
Vietnam
1h 45m
Pork belly slowly braised in coconut water and caramel until meltingly tender, with golden eggs that soak up the sweet-savoury sauce — the Vietnamese family dish that tastes better the next day.
Comfort & Sustained Energy
Slow-braised pork belly and eggs in coconut water and caramel.
Vietnam
1h 10m
WARNING: This dish is made from raw duck blood and eating it is NOT recommended. Raw blood can carry Streptococcus suis (which causes meningitis and sepsis — people in Vietnam have died after eating pig-blood tiet canh), avian influenza from duck blood, salmonella and other dangerous germs. Vietnam's Ministry of Health advises against eating tiet canh, and no preparation method — not even blood from a fresh or trusted source — makes raw blood fully safe. This page describes the traditional Hanoi preparation, tiết canh vịt, for cultural knowledge only. One serving is about 241 g: a small bowl of fresh duck blood mixed with fish sauce, poured over finely chopped cooked duck meat and left to set into a soft, trembling jelly, then finished with crushed roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, lime and chili, and served cold.
Cultural Discovery
A traditional northern Vietnamese snack of raw duck blood set into a soft jelly with cooked duck meat, herbs and peanuts — described here for cultural knowledge, with a serious safety warning.
