Ghee Rice / NeyChoru

Today I made Ghee rice or Ney choru inspired by the recipe I got the recipe from my mother’s friend J Aunty. Ghee rice is a delicacy often prepared by the Muslim community especially here in Kerala. Rice flavoured with spices and decorated with brown caramelized onions often becomes a part of their heavy lunch menu.

 My mother’s friend would send some Ghee rice over whenever she made it.This rice goes well with chicken or mutton curry, and for vegetarians like me with Vegetable Stew.Then one day I got the recipe from her. But I could never recreate the taste...Her ney choru was always out of the world.

My Dad’s Brother Unnimama calls me Ney choru (ghee rice).Actually his friend gave me this name after seeing my fascination for ghee rice. Not to talk about the calories I always love it.My uncle and his friend, whenever they came home would find me eating my usual lunch of brown rice with lots of ghee in it.I would never get fed up of it.My mom would put one spoon into the steaming brown rice .The moment she would turn to the other side I would add one more so what my rice was now oozing in ghee.hey is anyone looking…One more spoon of ghee? This is the last time…No more now…I would convince myself. Next day I would break my resolution while having lunch, again.  I could get no better nickname. It was just apt.

I still miss my brown rice dipped in ghee though I’m in the weight watching regime now. But ghee rice recipe given below seemed like a good substitute that I can still convince myself to prepare. Occasionally. Its tasty and easy but little high on calories. But dont worry. We’ll burn it out on the treadmill.

Ghee rice/Neychoru

Ingredients

Kaima rice/ Jeera rice/ Basmati rice-1 cup

Water-2 cups

Onion-1 thinly sliced (long cut)

Patta- 1 inch piece

Cloves-4

Cardamom-3

Ghee-3 tbsp+2 tbsp for frying cashewnuts and rasins

Oil- 3-4  tbsp

Cahew nuts-Handful

Rasins-Handful

Bay leaf-1

Salt

Method

Soak rice for 30 minutes.

Slice onions into long strips.

In a kadai take 2 tbsp ghee and fry the rasins and cashewnuts. Keep aside.

Heat 3 tbsp ghee and 3 tbsp oil (both together 1/4^th cup) in a pressure cooker. Add cardamom,cinnamon and cloves. When the aroma comes (after about a minute) add ½ of sliced onions . Saute till light brown.

Reduce heat .Add rice and sauté till it absorbs the ghee. Sprinkle sugar(1/2 tsp) to give brown tinge to the rice. Saute rice again.

Add 2 cups water and salt as required. Close the lid of the cooker without the whistle and increase flame. Let the rice cook for 7-10 minutes till steam comes out .Switch off flame. Let it stand for 10 minutes with the lid closed.

Fry the rest of the onion pieces in oil till  brown.and crisp Sprinkle the nuts, rasins and fried onions on the rice. Serve hot.

Notes

Add little salt to onions so that they turn brown and get fried soon.

Aternatively use a flat vessel . Add water , salt and boil. Then put rice and stir. Put a tight lid. Boil in high flame. When water and rice reaches same level sim till cooked.