South Indian Coconut Chutney Powder With Buttered Basmati Rice |
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Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 15 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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This is an adopted recipe. Here's what the original chef had to say about it: This is a dish I learned to cook from my friend from Hyderabad, India. Don’t let the name fool you – its coconut, yes, but this is not like eating a Mounds candy bar – it’s not sweet at all. The powder is a condiment, served with buttered basmati rice and it is delicious. It’s Indian comfort food! I usually make a batch of the powder at the beginning of the summer and it lasts for a while. Serve the buttered rice combination with chicken or fish grilled on the BBQ – it’s delicious and people will ask you what this is – it is not a heavy coconut flavor at all! Dry roasted channa dal, coconut powder and the other ingredients are available at Indian grocery stores. You will need a food processor and a coffee/spice grinder. You could easily cut the recipe in half if you are afraid to make that much of a commitment. Naturally you do not have to make so much rice, but this will give you an idea of the proportion of rice to powder…for an individual serving, you can add a teaspoon or two of the powder to your buttered rice. Two cups of basmati rice will serve about 8 to 10 people – it’s relative. The powder recipe makes 5 cups. Prep time reflects the time it takes to make the powder. Ingredients:
1 cup dry roasted channa dal |
4 cups dry coconut powder |
3 teaspoons kosher salt |
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds |
2 teaspoons indian red chili powder |
2 cups basmati rice |
4 cups water |
4 tablespoons unsalted butter |
Directions:
1. Grind the roasted channa dal in a spice grinder until it is a fine powder – you may need to do this in two or three batches.
2. Dry roast the cumin seeds in a cast iron skillet or any heavy pan until it is fragrant – about 3 – 5 minutes – watch it don’t let it burn.
3. Put 2 cups of the coconut powder in a food processor; add the channa dal powder, the salt, cumin seeds and the chili – then process until it is a nice powdery consistency.
4. Place in a bowl and add the remaining unprocessed 2 cups of coconut powder – stir to combine.
5. Store in an air-tight container.
6. Prepare the rice by rinsing the rice in hot water – drain then place in a pot with the 4 cups of water.
7. Bring to a boil, and then cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer over very low heat until the water is absorbed.
8. Uncover and fluff with a fork, then cover and cook for about 5 minutes longer.
9. Toss the butter with the rice until it is melted through, then add about 1/2 cup coconut powder and toss until it is completely combined. I usually add an additional 1/2 cup of powder and about 2 more tablespoons of butter. You can adjust to suit your tastes.
10. Serve!
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