Nei Choru (Ghee Rice)
What's your preferred accompaniment for Nei Choru (Ghee rice)? Let me guess – is it a non-vegetarian dish? Have you ever considered pairing ghee rice with Parippu Curry (Dal Curry)? I've come across references indicating that the combination of Dal and Ghee Rice is quite common in the Malabar region. Initially, the idea seemed a bit unconventional to me as I typically associated Nei Choru with non-vegetarian side dishes. However, upon trying this combination, I was pleasantly surprised! The flavors complemented each other exceptionally well, not to mention the delightful addition of papad and some pickle on the side. It turned out to be a delightful and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Kaima / Jeerakasala rice (refer notes for substitution)
- 1 small Onion (chopped finely)
- 3 Cloves
- 3 Cardamom
- A small piece Cinnamon
- 1 Bay leaf
- Salt
- 1 3/4 – 2 cups Boiling water (refer notes)
- 2 tbsp Ghee
For Garnishing
- 1 small Onion (sliced finely)
- 5 – 10 Cashews & raisins (each)
- Oil / Ghee
Instructions
- Wash the rice well. Crush together cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Heat ghee in a wide and deep pan. Add crushed masala and fry for a min or two. Add chopped onion and fry till it becomes pink in colour. Add the washed rice and fry for 5-7 mins on low flame. Stir in between. Add salt and boiling water. Cover and cook on low flame till the water is dried completely and rice is cooked.
- Heat oil/ghee in a pan and fry the cashews and raisins till it turns golden brown. In the same oil, fry the sliced onion, till it becomes golden brown.
- Garnish the cooked rice with fried onions, cashew and raisins.
- Serve with Parippu Curry (dal curry) or any veg or nonveg curry of your choice and pappad. Curries that have a thick and rich gravy pairs well with ghee rice.
Notes
- Kaima rice is a short grain rice, which is commonly used in Malabar area for making biriyani and ghee rice. You can use Basmati rice instead.
- The ideal qty of water to cook the rice is double the qty of rice. However, Kaima rice tends to cook faster, so I added only 1 3/4 cup of boiling water. If you want the rice to be separate and non-sticky, I suggest you add 1 3/4 cup water first and add more boiling water, if required.
- Also, in some places people add mint and coriander leaves, lemon juice etc. to ghee rice. You can add the leaves either at the end for garnishing or along with the onions. If you are using lemon juice, you can add around 1 tbsp of lemon juice along with salt and water.
Nutrition
Calories: 423kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 7gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 306mgPotassium: 214mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 8IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!