100 Best Rated Dishes With Coconut

Rendang is an Indonesian meat dish which originated among the Minangkabau people in West Sumatra. The dish is famous for its spiciness and a long cooking procedure. It is often compared to Indian curry because of its consistency and unique flavors.

The theory about how rendang was invented claims that the generous use of spices and long cooking hours were employed to preserve the meat in hot and tropical climates, such as Indonesian, so unsurprisingly, the need to preserve meat for a longer period appeared among the Minangkabau people. 

A signature dish of Northern Thailand, khao soi is a delicious coconut soup in which numerous regional influences were combined to create a truly spectacular dish. The base of the soup is a slightly spicy broth which combines coconut milk and red curry paste.

The broth is served with flat egg noodles and a choice of meat, which usually includes chicken, beef, and pork. It is topped with a handful of crisp fried noodles and chopped cilantro. The dish is commonly served alongside a variety of condiments such as fresh lime, pickled cabbage, shallots, and chilis. 

Sate lilit is the favorite street food on Bali. This traditional delicacy is usually made with minced meat which is wrapped around a flat skewer. All meat varieties (including fish and other seafood) are used to prepare sate lilit. However, the most common variety is prepared with pork.

The skewers are usually spiced with traditional Indonesian spices such as lemongrass, galangal, chili, and lime leaves. It is believed that Indonesia is the birthplace of sate, and its numerous varieties can be found everywhere in Indonesia. Since sate lilit originated on Bali, it is often referred to as sate lilit Bali, and next to babi guling, it is one of the most popular dishes on the island. 

Cassava pone is a sweet, moist, and gummy dessert made from cassava root, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, coconut, sugar, nutmeg, butter, and milk. Not much is known about the origin of this dessert, but it's believed it first appeared somewhere on Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago or in Guyana, although most probably at all of these territories at the same time.

Today, cassava pone is so popular that it is regularly the first dessert to sell out at bake sales, and it is said that if you ask any local about pone, you are almost guaranteed to be regaled with a cherished childhood memory.

Peri peri chicken is a Mozambican dish consisting of grilled or roasted chicken that is often served with a creamy and spicy coconut sauce. Before grilling, the meat is traditionally marinated in cumin, garlic, paprika, lemon juice, and bird's eye chilis, giving the chicken a unique flavor.

The name of the dish is a Portuguese transliteration of the Swahili phrase piri piri, meaning pepper pepper, referring to the spiciness of the dish.

Flan de coco or coconut flan is a delicate dessert that is popular in Colombia, Costa Rica, and parts of the Caribbean. It is typically made with eggs, coconut milk, condensed milk, cream, vanilla extract, and flaked coconut. The dessert is usually baked in small ramekins with caramel on the inside, so when flan de coco is inverted, it has a nice caramel layer on top and on the sides.

Before serving, the dessert is often topped with flaked coconut.

Both savory and sweet in flavor, arroz con coco is a flavorful Colombian side dish consisting of white rice, coconut milk, sugar, salt, and water. When mixed with raisins, arroz con coco becomes slightly sweeter, while the version without raisins is more savory and traditionally served with fish dishes.

It is recommended to use coconut milk without stabilizers so that it can separate into fat and solids.

Bombocado is a Brazilian dessert made with shredded parmesan, grated coconut, flour, milk, butter, eggs, and sugar. The concoction is baked, chilled, then cut into wedges. This dessert is often prepared for the Independence Day, and it is recommended to serve it with a dollop of whipped cream, and a mug of Brazilian coffee on the side.

The name bombocado can be translated as a good bite.

Bicol express is a popular Filipino dish consisting of sliced pork that is doused in a creamy coconut-based sauce and seasoned with shrimp paste and spicy chili peppers. According to popular belief, Cely Kalaw invented the dish in her Manila restaurant.

She was inspired by the traditional Bicolano coconut-infused dishes and named the new invention after a Filipino train service operating from Manila to the Bicol region. Creamy and spicy Bicol express is usually served with plain steamed rice on the side.