Narali Bhat
Veg
Fragrant sweet rice cooked with freshly grated coconut, jaggery, cardamom, and saffron — prepared on Narali Pournima (coconut full moon festival) as an offering to the sea. The rice is cooked in coconut milk and the grated coconut is stirred through hot, finished with ghee-fried cashews and raisins. A Koli and Maharashtrian coastal festival staple, narali bhat is sweet, rich, and deeply coconut-forward.
Cuisines
Malvani
Saraswat
Maharashtrian
Best for
Lunch
Dessert
Recipe
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 60 min
2-3 servings
Ingredients
| 1 cup | basmati rice |
| 1 cup | fresh grated coconut |
| 1 cup | jaggery |
| 2 tablespoons | ghee |
| 1 teaspoon | cardamom powder |
| 1 pinch | saffron strands |
| 2 tablespoons | cashew nuts |
| 2 tablespoons | raisins |
| 1 pinch | salt |
| 2 cups | water |
Instructions
- 1 Wash and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes.
- 2 Drain the rice and set aside.
- 3 In a pan, heat the ghee and fry the cashew nuts and raisins until golden. Remove and set aside.
- 4 In the same pan, add the soaked rice and sauté for a couple of minutes.
- 5 Add 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt to the rice. Bring it to a boil.
- 6 Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it cook until the rice is done.
- 7 In a separate pan, melt the jaggery with a little water to make a syrup.
- 8 Add the grated coconut to the jaggery syrup and cook for a few minutes.
- 9 Mix the cooked rice with the coconut-jaggery mixture.
- 10 Add cardamom powder and saffron strands, and mix well.
- 11 Garnish with fried cashew nuts and raisins.
- 12 Serve warm.
Tips
For extra flavour, use whole spices like cloves and cinnamon in the ghee before frying the nuts.