COCONUT
Arashi Tenga Kali
1 cup Basmati rice
1 teaspoon menthya (methi)
1 cup sour yogurt
1/8 cup grated coconut
4 or 5 green chilies
A small bunch of coriander
Salt to taste
1 tsp ghee
1 stick of butter
Kadugu (Mustard seeds)
Wash and soak rice and menthya in two cups of water for about an hour or more. In a blender grind the rice and the rest of the ingredients using all the water. In a big sauce pan or koon, heat the oil and butter. Add kadugu and splutter, then pour in the blended liquid. Keep stirring. As the rice cooks, the liquid thickens and gradually comes to a soft dough consistency. Should not take more than 10 - 15 minutes to cook. Serve it hot with butter or ghee.
Coconut Rice #1
2 cups Basmati rice
½ cup dessicated coconut (shredded, unsweetened)
2 dry red chillies
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons peanuts
salt to taste
1-2 tbsps ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp red lentils
a pinch of asafoetida
sprig of curry leaves
Fry all ingredients in the oil. Make rice in the usual way. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly, and offer.
Coconut Rice #2
3 cups of Basmati
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chillies - 3, broken to bits
Urad Dhal - 2 teaspoons
Asfoetida - ½ tsp
Butter - 1 to 2 tablespoons
Coconut - half a coconut (or 4 tablespoons dry flaked)
Cashews - ¼ cup, broken
Curry leaves, a few
Salt to taste
Ghee for frying
Cook the rice. While rice is being cooked, soak Urad dhal in a cup of water. If using dessicated coconut, sprinkle coconut with some hot water so it becomes soft. After rice is cooked, allow to cool by spreading out. Melt butter with a little ghee added and splutter the mustard seeds. Add asofoetida, cashews and red chillies. Keep frying till the red chilies and cashew are golden brown, but not too dark. Add curry leaves. Drain water off the Urad Dhal and add the Dhal and coconut to the cashew and seasoning mix. Keep frying till hissing of water stops, and until the coconut just starts browning. Add a teaspoon of ghee to the cooled rice. Mix oil, seasoning, cashews, coconut and salt to taste with the cooled rice.
Coconut Rice #3
1 cup Basmati rice
1 cup grated coconut
3 medium size green chillies
2 or 3 Bay leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp asofoetida
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 cups of water
2 tbsp ghee
Slit green chillies. Grind the coconut into a smooth paste with scant water. Wash the rice and drain the water. In a little ghee fry the bay leaves and cumin seeds. Once the bay leaves turn brown add the green chillies and cook for 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir for a minute. Add the ground coconut paste to it. Add the water and salt and pressure cook as you would normally to cook the rice.
Coconut Coriander Rice
Basmati rice - 1 cup
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Coriander - 1 bunch
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Lemon - 2
Green chillies
Asafoetida - pinch
Salt to taste
Ghee 3-4 tsp
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tbsp. Urad dal
Handful of peanuts
Boil the rice then spread out and let cool. In a little ghee fry the green chillies, fenugreek seeds, coriander, coconut and asafoetida and lightly fry. Do not over fry as fenugreek seeds will become bitter. Grind the above mixture without adding water. Use lemon juice instead of water, as needed. Fry mustard seeds in a little ghee until they splutter then add urad dal and peanuts. Fry till golden, then add the other mixture. Fry for another few minutes. Add the cooked rice and salt to the above mixture and mix well.
South Indian Coconut Rice
1 cup cooked Basmati rice
½ cup freshly grated coconut
1 green chilies, chopped
2 curry leaves
2 red chilis
½ tsp black gram
½ tsp. Bengal gram
½ tsp. Mustard seeds
1 tsp. ghee
Salt to taste
Peanuts, roasted
Cashews, a handful
Make rice, then spread out to cool. Heat ghee and add mustard seeds, Black and Bengal gram, curry leaves, green chilies and grated coconut and fry on medium heat till coconut turns light golden. Remove from heat and set aside. Mix all ingredients together and offer.
South India Kobbari Annam
Basmati - 1 cup
Coconut- one fresh (don’t substitute dry)
Cashew nuts - ¼ cup
Green chillies - 2 to 3
Salt to taste
For seasoning:
Coconut oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 7
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Keera Raita:
Spinach - 1 bunch
Curd - 2 cups
Green chillies - 1
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Grate coconut and take out 1/4 of it and set aside. Take coconut milk from the remaining coconut by grinding it in a food processor with some water and filtering it. Save the fresh coconut milk. Wash rice and fry it a little, then cook it with coconut milk and some water (to get usual amount for 1 cup rice). Add salt to it. Heat the pan and add coconut oil and mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, jeera, sliced green chillies, red chillies, and curry leaves till they begin to crisp, then add grated coconut and fry to a light golden brown. Add cooked rice and mix it well. Add fried cashew nuts. Offer with keera raita on the side. To make raita, cut the keera into small pieces and add to fresh curd along with salt and chopped green chillies. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Tamil Nadu Thengai Saadham
Basmati Rice - 3/4 cup
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Dry Red Chilly - 3
Urad Dhal - 2 tsp
Channa Dhal - 1 tsp
Cashews - 5
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Asofoetida - a pinch
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Cook the rice. When done, separate rice grains and spread out to cool. Fry 1/2 tsp Urad Dhal and the cashews pieces in some ghee and add to the rice. Fry the remaining Urad dhal, Channa Dhal, Dry Red Chilly and Asofoetida in ghee and dry grind it coarsely along with the salt. Lightly fry the coconut in some ghee and add this and the powder to the rice and mix well. Add the remaining ghee and mix evenly. Garnish with chopped cilantro / coriander.
