From Amma With Love
Taengai Chadam
Coconut Rice
1/2 cup Basmathi or any long grain rice
1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. black mustard seeds
1/4cup washed urad daal
1 sprig curry leaves
2 dried red chili peppers, broken into pieces
1/4+cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
7 ~ 8 cashew nuts
salt to taste
Cook the rice and cool it in a large bowl.
Heat the 1/8 tsp. oil in a small heavy saucepan, add the mustard seeds, urad daal, dried red chili pepper, and curry leaves.
When the urad daal starts to get brown, take the saucepan off the stove and add the spice mixture to the rice.
In the same saucepan, add the remaining oil and shredded coconut and stir with the medium heat until the coconut get golden in color, and add it to the rice. Repeat the same to fly the cashew nuts.
Mix the rice, shredded coconut, and cashew nuts with salt.
This dish can be eaten with hot or room tempereture.
Note: This dish is one of the traditional ones made during the Tamil month of Aadi in Thanjavur, an area in South India famous for its rice. When the Kaveri River would overflow its banks making everything grow, women would celebrate by making a variety of rice dishes called Chithrannams.
