I am always fond of resorting to one pot meal when in a bit of hurry and not indulging in a mood to prepare a multi-course meal. However, the challenge is to stay innovative and keep it varied since the usual Pulaos (Vegetable Pulao, Soya Nugget Pulao) and Fried rices (Egg Fried Rice, Mexican Fried Rice with Egg, Simple Egg Rice) sometimes feel a bit hackneyed.

My search landed me to a very nice recipe shared by Aruna, one of my favourite blogger friends, which is Coconut and Mustard Rice | Kayi Sasive Chitranna | Ava Pettina Kobbari Annam. Kayi Sasive Chitranna is a traditional and a very popular rice dish in Karnataka, particularly in the Udupi region and cooked with coconut, mustard seeds and red chilli paste.

Coconut rice is also known as Kobbari Annam (in Telugu), Thengai Sadam (in Tamil) and Thenga Choru (in Malayalam) across different southern states of India with their own variation and it is largely prepared during the festival seasons. However the basic ingredients like freshly grated coconut, mustard seeds, curry leaves, nuts etc. remain the same.

I have an inclination towards the South Indian rice dishes as they are tangy, spicy, nutty and so much flavourful. This coconut rice will be prepared in a jiffy and perfect for your lunch box. Although I couldn’t follow the exact ingredients to prepare in the most ideal way, I had my share of innovations while remaining largely loyal to the recipe.

Incidentally, the festival of Onam is also round the corner and I am so happy to share this recipe on the eve of Onam.

Ingredients to serve 4 :

1. Basmati rice – 3 cups (small)
2. Grated coconut – 2 cups (or half of a large coconut)
3. Dry red chilli – 8
4. Mustard seeds – 1 tbspoon + 2 teaspoon
5. Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
6. Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
7. Peanuts – ½ cup
8. Husked Black Gram/Urad dal (biulir dal) – 1 tbspoon (soaked in water for 15-20 mins.)
9. Bengal Gram/Chana dal (cholar dal) – 1 tbspoon ((soaked in water for 15-20 mins.)
10. Asafoetida (hing) – ½ teaspoon (optional)
11. Handful of curry leaves
12. Salt & sugar to taste
13. Mustard oil – 4½ tbspoon

Procedure :

Step 1: Preparing the Rice

• First wash the rice two – three times with water and then soak in water for 30 minutes.  
• Then boil sufficient amount of water in a large vessel. Add 1 teaspoon salt and ½ tbspoon mustard oil to the water.
• Now drain water from rice and add it to the boiling water. Let the rice cook over medium – high flame.
• After cooking the rice drain the water from it and spread it over two large plates for cooling. Rice must be fully cooked but firm and grainy.

Step 2: Preparing Coconut and mustard paste

Make a thick paste with grated coconut, 4 dry red chillies, 1 tbspoon mustard seeds, turmeric powder , pinch of salt and little water. 

Step 3: Making of Coconut & Mustard Rice

• As the quantity of rice was much I divided it into two portions and made the coconut rice into two batches. That’s why I also divided the ingredients accordingly. 
• For 1^st batch, heat 2 tbspoon of oil a large kadai over medium flame.
• Add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds and ¼ the teaspoon cumin seeds. Let them crackle.
• Then add urad dal, channa dal and peanuts and fry till they turn golden.
• Now add ¼ teaspoon of hing, 2 dry red chillies and half of the curry leaves. Stir fry for few seconds.
• After that add coconut paste and cook for a minute.
• Then turn the flame on low and add half portion of the cooked rice. Mix it very well with the coconut mixture and fry for couple of minutes. Check for salt and add if needed. Also add little bit of sugar at time of mixing (optional).
• After that transfer the coconut rice in a serving bowl and prepare the next batch with remaining rice.
• Serve with plain curd or raita.

Note :

1. Keep an watchful eye while cooking the rice. Try to cook it in a large vessel, use generous amount of water and drain the water before the rice get soften.
2. Drying out the cooked rice is an important step.
3. You can also pressure cook the rice. In that case use double quantity of water to the rice and cook up to two whistles.
4. Fry the rice till it gets well mixed with rest of the ingredients.
5. Adjust the amount of chillies according to your taste.