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Narali bhaat
Coconut jaggery rice
नारळी भात: Maharashtrian coconut-jaggery rice for Narali Purnima and Raksha Bandhan
On the full moon of Shravan, Konkan fishing families offer a coconut to the sea to mark the end of the monsoon, and the same day in most Maharashtrian homes is Raksha Bandhan, so sisters and brothers sit down to a plate of narali bhaat. It is basmati or ambemohar rice cooked with fresh grated coconut, jaggery, ghee, clove and cardamom until each grain is glossy, golden-brown and separate, with cashews and raisins through it. It tastes of caramel and coconut, warm and only gently spiced. Common mistake: adding the jaggery to rice that is not fully cooked; jaggery stops rice softening, so the grains must be tender before it goes in, then the mixture is cooked until the syrup is absorbed and the rice looks dry and shiny. Chef's tip: keep the rice slightly undercooked when you first boil it and spread it on a plate to cool; firm, cool grains stay whole when they meet the hot jaggery.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the rice
- 7 oz basmati ricerinsed and soaked 20 minutes
- 2 cups water
- 1 pinch salt
For the sweet coconut
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 4 cloves
- ⅔ oz cashews
- ⅔ oz raisins
- 4 oz fresh grated coconut
- 5 ½ oz jaggerygrated
- ½ tsp ground green cardamom
- 1 pinch saffron strands (optional)soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Drain 7 oz basmati rice and bring 2 cups water and 1 pinch salt to the boil in a pan. Add the rice, cover and cook on a low heat for 10–12 minutes until the grains are just tender with a tiny bite.
12 minStep 2: Spread the rice on a wide plate and leave it to cool for 10 minutes so the grains firm up.
10 minStep 4: Stir in 4 oz fresh grated coconut and 5 ½ oz jaggery and cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes until the jaggery melts into a bubbling, sticky syrup with the coconut.
5 minStep 5: Gently fold in the cooled rice with a flat spatula, lifting rather than stirring so the grains do not break.
2 minStep 6: Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 8–10 minutes, folding once halfway, until the syrup is absorbed and the rice looks dry, glossy and golden-brown. Add ½ tsp ground green cardamom and 1 pinch saffron strands in the last minute.
10 minStep 7: Rest it covered off the heat for 5 minutes, then serve warm.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does narali bhaat take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of basmati rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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