Coconut rice

Kalandha saadham (variety rice) is one of the must-present food items during special occasions and festival time. As the name suggests, variety rice is known for its varied taste from sweet (coconut rice) to spicy (tamarind rice) to tangy (lemon rice). Curd rice is also one of the variety rice and served towards the end as a palate cleanser. Children are very fond of variety rice - When I was a kid, I used to love all types of variety rice alongside vadam & vathal and now-a-days my daughter seems to prefer kalandha sadham compared to traditional sambar/rasam. Variety rice is the way to go when planning for lunch / picnic / travel menu. They are easy to make, easy to pack & easy to carry. My mom usually prepares kalandha saadham for aadi perukku & Kaanum pongal.

Coconut rice is rich, flavorful and easy to prepare. I love coconut rice for its sweet taste from fresh grated coconut with a hint of spiciness from red chillies & green chillies and the crunchiness imparted by roasted cashews.

Ingredients
Grated fresh coconut - 1 cup (I don't prefer frozen ones)
Cooked rice - 1 cup (I use sona masoori cooked with 1.5 cups of water)
Moong dal - 1-2 tbsp
Green chillies - 2 nos
Red chillies - 2 nos
Curry Leaves - Few
Coconut oil - 2 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Hing - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - To Taste

Sugar - Only if needed.

Channa dal/Whole Urid dal - 1/2 tbsp (mixed)

Cashews - 6-8 nos (broken)

Ghee - very little to roast cashews

Method

Roast cashews in little ghee until brown and keep it aside.

Soak moong dal in water for atleast 15-20 mins. Cut red chillies & green chilles into halves and keep it ready.

Heat coconut oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Add channa dal, urid dal, red chillies, green chillies, curry leaves and fry them until brown. Now, add moong dal (drained from water) and fry for 2-3 mins. Add grated coconut, hing and saute until brown. Your kitchen should now be filled with a nice aroma from roasted coconut. Now, add roasted cashews to the coconut mixture.

Mix cooked rice with the coconut mixture. Add salt to your taste and mix it gently. Take care not to break rice while mixing.

Delicious coconut rice is ready to be served.

Tips:

Some coconuts may not have natural sweetness and so, coconut rice might taste really bland. In such cases, add a tsp of sugar to the grated coconut and let it sit for 10 -15 mins before starting to cook.

Events

Linking this to "Lets Cook - Rice" event hosted by Radhika