COCONUT RICE / THENGAI SADAM / KOBBARI ANNAM

South Indian Coconut Rice is a gently spiced and light dish cooked with fresh coconut. It has a delectable taste and is additionally simple to make. Rice is cooked alongside fresh coconut and is tempered with dal, curry leaves, dry red chillies, and cashews. In south India, coconut rice is a most loved and is made during celebrations like Pongal and Navratri and other special events. 

Coconut is high in dietary fiber, assists with improving heart wellbeing, assists with forestalling weight, lessens sugar longing for, goes about as vitality promoter and improves assimilation. It is gluten free, non-poisonous, contains antibacterial, antifungal and anti parasitic mending properties. An extremely heavenly method for consuming coconut is by preparing coconut rice. 

Coconut rice is called Kobbari Annam in Andhra Pradesh, Thengai Sadam in Tamil Nadu and Nariyal Chawal in north India. 

Coconut rice recipe differs from home to home. The most easiest form of coconut rice is to utilize precoocked rice or extra rice from a day prior – the recipe that you have here today.

INGREDIENTS:

For cooking rice:

• Basmati rice or any regular rice - 1 cup
• Water - 2 cups

For tempering:

• Oil or Ghee - 1 1/2 tablespoon
• Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin or Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon 
• Urad dal (Black gram) - 1/2 tablespoon
• Chana dal (Bengal gram) - 1/2 tablespoon
• Cashews - 10 - 12 nos., chopped
• Peanuts - 10 - 12 nos.
• Dry red chilies - 1 - 2 nos.
• Green chilies - 1 - 2 nos., chopped
• Ginger - 1/2 inch, grated
• Asafoetida (hing) - 1 pinch, optional
• Curry leaves - 1 spring
• Onion - 1 large, chopped
• Carrot - 1 medium, grated
• Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
• Salt - To taste
• Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
• Fresh coriander leaves - Handful, chopped

PREPARATION:

1. Wash & soak 1 cup regular rice or basmati rice in enough water for 30 minutes. Then drain the water and cook the rice. See here to know how to cook rice.
2. Take the cooked rice in a plate / tray and allow to cool completely. If there are lumps in the rice, then break the lumps once the rice is cooled.
3. Also soak urad dal and chana dal in hot water for 30 minutes. Later drain the water very well and keep the dals aside. 
4. Grate half of a medium to large coconut and keep aside.
5. Heat oil in a pan. You can use coconut oil, sesame oil or any other oil. Crackle mustard seeds & cumin seeds.
6. Add the chana dal and urad dal. Stir and saute for about a minute. Then add chopped cashews and peanuts. Stir and saute till the cashews turn golden. The dals would also turn golden by then.
7. Add dry red chilies, grated ginger, curry leaves, chopped onion and chopped green chilies along with a pinch of asafoetida. Stir and saute till the red chilies change color and onion become translucent.
8. Next add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, grated coconut & carrot. Stir very well. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. The coconut can be sauteed till a creamish color or a faint light brown color.
9. Lastly add the steamed rice, lemon juice and salt. Stir the rice well and switch off the flame.
10. Serve coconut rice topped with a bit of ghee and some chopped coriander leaves along with gravy or curry like veg kuzhambu, veg stew or even plain homemade fresh curd.

NOTE:

• The rice should be cooked such that the grains remain separate.
• Coconut rice tastes best with freshly grated coconut. But you can use frozen coconut too.
• Be careful not to over fry the coconut, else it will smell of coconut oil.
• If you want your coconut rice to taste yummy, be generous in adding coconut.
• Coconut oil works perfectly for this particular recipe but any cooking oil would be fine too.
• You can add the dals directly also, but soaking them and then adding, helps the dal from turning hard when added to the tempering and also gives a good taste to the coconut rice.
• you can even add different assorted veggies to make it filling and wholesome.
• You can skip onion if you want to make a no onion no garlic meal.
• Lemon juice as optional, balances the taste. But add it accordingly to balance the flavors of rice.

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