RM#2 Day 8 - Ghee Rice / Neyyi Saadham

Ghee Rice, another special coconut n green chilly flavoured rice with simple ingredients..no need of ginger garlic paste, tomatoes n garam masala..this is one of the easiest way of preparing rice for potluck,family get together r else for a lazy sunday lunch..they goes awesome with any spicy curries..my favourite side dish for this delicious rice is spicy chicken gravy r else prawn spicy masala..My mom used to prepare this rice atleast twice in a month along with mutton fry..as they r mildly spicy,we love them much... now my family like this ghee rice more than biriyanis..

2cups Raw Basmati Rice
1cup Fresh Grated Coconut
5nos Green chillies
1cup Mint Leaves chopped
2nos Onion chopped lengthwise
5nos Garlic pods
2nos Whole spices( bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves, star anise)
1/2tsp Fennel seed powder
10 nos Cashew nuts
1/4cup Ghee
Few saffron strands
Salt

Wash thoroughly the basmati rice, drain the excess of water with a strainer.. heat a tsp of ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel ( am gonna prepare them in a vessel, can also prepare them in pressure cooker), once the ghee get heated, add the rice n dry roast them for few minutes, transfer the rice to another vessel...now heat the rest of the ghee, add the whole spices n fry them until they turns brown, add the cashewnuts,fennel seed powder n fry them..

Now add the chopped lengthwise onions n garlic pods..stir them continously until they turns transculent, meanwhile grind both coconut n green chillies into fine paste with enough water, strain them with a strainer, this is the first coconut milk, repeat once again with the strained coconut-chilly with another one cup of water..strain again, this is the second coconut milk..mix both milk n add enough water to make them as 4cups of coconut milk..add this coconut milk to the transculent onion with chopped mint leaves n bring them to boil..

Add the roasted rice with enough salt n cook them in medium high flame for few minutes n finish them in simmer until the water get absorbed by the rice(if u r preparing this rice in pressure cooker, cook them upto 2 hisses)...mix the saffron strands with few spoon of water n springle over the rice...dont stir them immediately, this will break the rice...

Serve hot with any choice of curries...Delicious n mildly spicy ghee rice!!