Narali Bhaat (Coconut rice)

               It's Rakshabandhan tomorrow. For my non-Indian friends, it is a festival celebrated all over India on a full moon day wherein sister ties a holy thread around the wrist of her brother and as a return gift, the brother promises to take care of her in all walks of life. It's a lovely festival celebrating the unique relation and bonding between a brother and a sister.
   This day also holds a special importance among the fishermen on the coast, because this is when they start their fishing season. So they celebrate this day by offering coconut to the sea and lots of singing and dancing.
    The special dish made on this day is Narali Bhaat, which is basically a sweet dish made with coconut and sugar or jaggery. So today I am going to share the same recipe for you all.

Ingredients & Recipe-
Basmati Rice 1 cup
Grated fresh coconut 1 cup
Sugar or Jaggery 1/2 a cup (I use the mixture of half sugar and half jaggery)
Cardamom powder made from 4-5 cardamoms
2-3 Cloves
Ghee 3tbsp
Saffron strands5-7 (soaked in lukewarm milk)
Cashew nuts, almonds and raisins for garnishing

1) Wash and soak the rice in the water and keep aside for half an hour.
2)After half an hour,cook these rice al dente' and drain the excess water, cover and set aside for 10 minutes. The rice gets cooked with the steam trapped in the vessel and thus each grain of the rice separates.
3) Heat 2tsp ghee in a pan and add cloves to it. Add chopped almonds and cashew nuts and fry for a few seconds. Now add grated coconut and mix well.
4) Add sugar or/and jaggery to it. When the sugar/jaggery dissolves and the mixture starts getting thicker, add the cooked rice very carefully and turn the heat off.
5) Add raisins, saffron soaked in milk and pour the rest of the ghee from the sides of the pan, cover and leave for 10-12 minutes.
6) Mix the rice well before serving, take it out in a serving bowl, garnish with chopped nuts and raisins and serve hot.3) Heat 2tsp ghee in a pan and add cloves to it. Add chopped almonds and cashew nuts and fry for a few seconds. Now add grated coconut and mix well.
4) Add sugar or/and jaggery to it. When the sugar/jaggery dissolves and the mixture starts getting thicker, add the cooked rice very carefully and turn the heat off.
5) Add raisins, saffron soaked in milk and pour the rest of the ghee from the sides of the pan, cover and leave for 10-12 minutes.
6) Mix the rice well before serving, take it out in a serving bowl, garnish with chopped nuts and raisins and serve hot.

        My childhood buddy and a regular reader friend of 'Abhiruchi',Vaishali Deshpande had sent a recipe of savoury coconut rice. I didn't get a chance to try this yet: but I am sharing her recipe with you all.
   First of all cook the rice in a same way as given above and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and make a tempering with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida,curry leaves,urad dal,peanuts. Add grated fresh coconut to it and saute' for a few minutes. Now add the cooked rice and salt and mix well. Coconut rice is ready to serve!!
        Try these recipes and double the joy of this beautiful festival with your loved ones!!