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Dinner with Rukmini
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South Indian Toasted Coconut Rice with Cashew Nuts
Introduction from Rukmini Iyer
This is my grandmother Thathi’s recipe, and it’s one of my absolute favourites. With just a handful of ingredients and very little hands-on time, you’re left with a pot of rice with the most incredibly complex scent and flavour. I’m happy to eat a bowl of this by itself, but it also works beautifully with a chickpea curry or fried aubergines. If you’re cooking for fewer people, I’d recommend making up this quantity and freezing half for another day.
Ingredients
Essential kit
You will need: a high-speed blender or Nutribullet.
Method
Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 15 minutes + 10 minutes standing.
Put the rice and boiling water into a large Pyrex bowl, cover with a plate and microwave on medium for 14 minutes. Let it stand for 10 minutes. (Alternatively, put the rice and boiling water into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Turn the heat right down and simmer for 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes.)
Meanwhile, put the coriander seeds, black split urad dal (if using) and dried chilli into a medium frying pan and toast over a medium to low heat for about 2 minutes until aromatic, stirring frequently. Add the desiccated coconut and toast for a further 2 minutes until it’s a lovely golden brown. Let the spices and coconut cool down, and then grind in a spice grinder or high-speed blender or Nutribullet until fine.
Heat 1 tablespoon of your chosen oil/butter in the same frying pan and add the cashew nuts. Fry over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown.
Gently stir the cooked rice with the ground spice and coconut mix and cashew nuts together with the remaining tablespoon of your chosen oil/butter, along with a teaspoon of sea salt flakes. Stir until the rice is evenly coated – I do this with a metal spoon to avoid mashing the rice. Taste and adjust the salt as needed, and serve.
NOTE: You must make this with whole coriander seeds, not ground coriander. But don’t worry about the urad dal – you can use it if you have any in, but the recipe works beautifully without.
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From the book
India Express: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Every Day
75 recipes inspired by the vibrant flavours of South India and Bengal
Speedy and fuss-free recipes for maximum flavour in return for minimum effort
Trademark traybakes, as well as stir-fries, snacks, weeknight curries, and simple desserts
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