Thursday, October 29, 2020

Amla (Avalo/ Gooseberry/ Nellikayi) chitranna with Rice- Moong Dal.


"Amla (Avalo/ Gooseberry/ Nellikayi) chitranna with Rice- Moong Dal" ... A delicious spiced rice and moong dal with spiced tangy masala ... Yummilicious ... 

** Chitranna is a spicy~ sour preparation of rice served at room temperature and is quite popular in southern parts of India. This is served at many festivals and temples too in Tamilian community. This dish is prepared and served immediately as the masala added is not heated nor is the dish on whole, so it is bound to get rancid as it is already a tangy dish. You can however keep it in the fridge for later use, but I somehow do not recommend it as it loses tate and is not the same as when it is fres. Chitranna is usually served with some coconut chutney however this time I served it with alvamande/ arvi/ colocasia roots curry along with some curds and it was awesome though personally I would have preferred chutney. As I have posted quite a few variations of chitranna both with rice and poha, to which I will be sharing links at the bottom of this recipe. This chitranna is on the same lines except that I prepared it with addition of moong dal/ green gram dal too and I must say it turned out delicious and yummy, healthier too than eating only in rice form. Try it, your family will love it. 

** Here is my simple method of preparing "Amla (Avalo/ Gooseberry/ Nellikayi) chitranna with Rice- Moong Dal" … My very own style … 

** Wash and soak one cup of basmati/ jeera rice for 20 minutes. Drain the water and keep it in a colander for all the excess water to drain off. Wash and drain ½ cup of moong dal/ green gram dal and add it to the rice and mix well. Put it in a pressure cooker with 2.5 cups of water, a pinch of salt, 1 tblsp of oil and pressure cook on medium heat to 2-3 whistles. Let the pressure fall a bit say for 5 minutes, then release the pressure lifting the whistle with the help of tongs and open the lid. Let cook for 5-10 minutes undisturbed, then with the help of a fork loosen the rice and moong dal, spread it on a plate and allow to cool completely. 

** For Ground Masala : Add in 8 dry red kashmiri chillies (kumte mirsang/ byadgi mirchi) into a mixer grinder along with ½ tsp of mustard seeds (rai/ sasam) and grind to a coarse powder. Then add in 3-4 grated amlas (avalo/ nellikayi/ gooseberry), and 1 cup freshly grated coconut (soyi/ nariyal) and further grind to a coarse paste without adding water. Just keep mixing in between and continue grinding, when the ingredients have been ground well to a chutney sort of form remove and add this to the cooled down rice-moong dal mixture. 

** For seasoning : Heat 2 tblsp of coconut oil (narlel tela) in a small pan, when hot add in add ½ tsp urad dal (black gram dal) when slightly color changes add in ½ tsp of chana dal (Bengal gram dal- Optional, I have not added this time), ½ tsp mustard seeds (sasam/ rai), ½ tsp haldi (turmeric) powder, ½ to 1 tsp of hing (asafoetida) powder, 10-15 curry leaves (kadipatta/ karbevu) and fry for a few seconds and then add this to the rice- moong dal- masala kept aside and mix well. Mix all ingredients loosely in tossing method and do not put pressure or knead the same as then the rice will get mashed. You should take care to see that the rice and dal just gets mixed evenly while the grains remain separate. 

** "Amla (Avalo/ Gooseberry/ Nellikayi) chitranna with Rice- Moong Dal" is done and ready to be served. This dish is not heated, so serve it immediately once it is mixed in together as otherwise it will turn rancid in a few hours times. Maximum room temperature time is 4-6 hours and if the weather is too hot then 2-3 hours only. A very tasty dish, served usually during festive season along with chutney, but this time I served the same with curry and curds and it was simply awesome. Amla is in season now, so do try out this dish and relish the same with family and friends, you can carry it in lunch box to have them with your friends provided the time frame does not cross the mentioned hours above. 

** Note : You can serve Kokum kadhi, pachodi or any chutney along with Chitranna. 

** Chitranna is usually prepared with Rice and Raw Mangoes, however I have successfully prepared the same with poha / pova too. Giving the link for the same below. 

** Do not heat Chitranna. It is prepared and served immediately. 

** You can check out more recipes on Chitranna by browsing through the link given below … 

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