NaraLi Bhat

It's NaraLi Pournima and Raksha bandhan today as I post this my lucky cousin Charu will reach our Mumbai home to tie rakhi for my cousin brothers. I am in Blr so have to bless them from here itself.

I made Narali bhat today. My supply of Naral or coconut is store bought and not from the game of coconut cracking as described here. I am missing home and Mumbai today, as I was speaking to my cousin brother, Hrushi he promised to visit me soon. 

In their name this sweet coconut rice is enjoyed today!

Ingredients

1/2 Basmati rice

1/2 cup powdered jaggery
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut

1 table spoon ghee

2 cloves

1 cardamom

a handful of raisins

a handful of peanuts

At first wash Basmati rice. Dry it on a towel for 15 mins. Heat ghee in a wok. Now crackle up the cloves in it. Then add the peanuts and fry them up in the ghee. Add the washed and semi wet Basmati rice into the ghee. Stir to coat the grains of rice evenly. Add a glass of water and cook with a lid on. Pay attention that the rice grains should not clump. Then lower the heat and mix in the coconut, jaggery and raisins. Mix well to melt jaggery completely. Once the jaggery is molten completely it will impart a lovely pale golden color to the rice and it will glisten. Put off the heat and mix in the crushed cardamon powder. Let it cool completely before serving.

This is a traditional sweet in Maharashtra made on this day. I will make the Chauri chi Karanji too in the evening.

This sweet coconut rice or NaraLi Bhat in Marathi brings back memories of my father's Rakhi sister, Sunita Aatya, who would get it for us all the way from Goregaon to Fort. You must be wondering who is a Rakhi sister if you are not Indian. Well, on this day any woman who adopts a brother and ties a Rakhi (sacred thread) to him is called a Rakhi sister. The Indian tradition allows a woman to adopt a bro if she does not have a brother of her own. These bonds have sometimes been stronger than that of real siblings.