Thenginkayi Chitranna

Coconut rice — cooked, cooled rice tossed with a generous amount of freshly grated coconut (thenginkayi = coconut in Tulu), a tempering of mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, dried red chilli, green chilli, curry leaves, and turmeric in coconut oil, and finished with lime juice and salt. Unlike chitranna (lemon rice), the coconut is the dominant flavour element rather than the acid; the freshly grated coconut's natural sweetness and moisture coats every grain of rice. The lime juice is subtle — just enough to brighten without making it sour. The thenginkayi chitranna is made specifically for Ugadi, Rama Navami, and Krishna Janmashtami as a temple prasadam; it is one of the offerings made to the deity at the Udupi Krishna Math. Must be made with freshly grated coconut — desiccated coconut produces a completely different preparation.