NARALI BHAAT
[Sweet Coconut Rice]
Narali Bhaat is a typical Maharashtrian preparation. Naral means coconut and bhaat is rice in Marathi. This preparation is made as a "naivedya" for Narali Poornima. It can be enjoyed almost as a dessert. Many times Indian festival meals includes a sweet rice dish and this one is particularly festive.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 1 1/2 cup jaggery, crushed
- 1 cup freshly coconut, grated
- Few cashews
- Few almonds
- Few golden raisins
- 4-5 strings of saffron
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 5 drops yellow food color
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 whole cardamoms
- 2 cups hot water
Method:
- Wash and drain the rice half-an-hour before preparation.
- Heat ghee in a pan and add the whole cardamoms, cloves, rice and sauté for two to three minutes.
- Then add hot water, food color and cardamom powder.
- Take another pan and add jaggery, coconut, cashew, raisins and saffron. Stir well till it mix with each other properly.
- After the water has been almost absorbed from the rice, add the above mixture to it. Stir well. Cook on low flame until jaggery melts.
- Cover the "Narli Bhaat" with a lid and cook for five minutes.
- Serve hot by garnishing it with dryfruits. Smiley face innovative garnishing is suggested by my hubby :-)
Tips:
- Cook rice in open pot. Take Water double quantity of rice and stir it occasionally so that it will not become too sticky.
- Use fresh grated coconut so that the taste of coconut comes good while preparing the rice.