CHITRANA RICE

Tangy rice dish, flavoured with peanuts and malagapadi, a South Indian spice mixture.

Cooking Time : 10 mins.
Preparation Time : 20 mins.
Serves 4.

Ingredients

1½ cups long grained rice
3 tbsp peanuts
3 tbsp sesame seeds (til)
1 tbsp chana dal (split Bengal gram)
½ tsp mustard seeds (rai / sarson)
3 whole dry red chillies, broken into pieces
5 curry leaves (kadi patta)
¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)
2 tbsp freshly grated coconut
3 tbsp tamarind water (imli ka pani)
¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
2 tbsp malagapdi powder, recipe given
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

For the malagapadi powder
2 tbsp coriander (dhania) seeds
1½ tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 tbsp chana dal (split Bengal gram)
2 tbsp urad dal (split black lentil)
2 tbsp sesame seeds (til)
12 whole dry red chillies
1 tsp asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp salt

For the malagapadi powder
1. Mix and dry roast all the ingredients. Blend them in a blender to a powder and keep aside.

How to proceed

1. Boil the rice in a vesselful of salted water. Each grain of the cooked rice should be separate. Drain and cool.
2. Roast the peanuts and sesame seeds separately and powder them coarsely. Keep aside.
3. Heat the oil in a pan add the chana dal and mustard seeds and roast for 1 minute.
4. Add the red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida and cook again for ½ a minute.
5. Finally, add the rice, coconut, tamarind water, turmeric powder, malagapadi powder, roasted peanuts and sesame seeds powder and salt and cook for a few minutes.
6. Serve hot.