I am not a big fan of savory dishes with coconut in them, but a trip to Belize changed my mind \u2013 at least about rice with coconut.<\/p>\n
You see, when I was a kid, I really only ate the sugar-coated, shredded coconut that came in a bag. \u00a0You know, the kind you find in the baking goods aisle at the grocery store? \u00a0I loved macaroons, the frosting on German chocolate cake, Brach\u2019s Neapolitan coconut sundae candies, and eating handfuls of coconut right out of the bag. \u00a0Real coconuts were too exotic for Northern Utah, and this was before coconut milk and coconut water were readily available to the masses.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until I reached my 20s and had moved away to the big city of Salt Lake that I discovered that coconut could be used in very different ways \u2013 like in curry or a cream base to vegetables and poached meats. \u00a0And the distinct flavor of coconut mixed with these things just never tasted right to me. I kept picturing sugar.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to Belize earlier this year. \u00a0While there, we stayed at a lodge<\/a> where we slept in tree houses and sat on the porch watching 8-foot iguanas bask in the sun. \u00a0The owner was a fantastic cook, and everyday for dinner, prepared a meal for us that was accompanied by her signature Belizean coconut rice. \u00a0It was phenomenal and I\u2019ve been trying to reverse-engineer the recipe (which she wouldn\u2019t divulge) ever since.<\/p>\n