Narali bhat (coconut rice)

1. Prepare coconut milk by blending the freshly grated coconut with water in a mixie.

2. Sieve out the thick milk that comes out in the first attempt and keep it separately. This should be a cup of think coconut milk.

3. Blend the remaining coconut twice more with water, and get lean coconut milk by sieving it further. Keep this separate. This should be approximately two and a half cups to three cups.

4. Wash basmati rice and keep it ready for cooking

5. In a pan, make a tadka of cloves and cardmom in two tablespoons ghee. Approx 4-5 cloves and 4 cardmom pods opened up.

6. Add the rice and stir for five minutes on low flame

7. Add the lean coconut milk into the rice and cover it. Let it cook for 15 minutes on low flame

8. Check the rice and if it is dry, add some more water and cook it.

9. Meanwhile take two tablespoons of water, add in the jaggery and melt it on a low flame. Keep this separately

10. Once the rice is almost cooked, add the thick coconut milk into it and cover it for a further 5 minutes or so, until the flavor seeps in.

11. Check if the rice is fully cooked. It can be still a little wet with the coconut milk, but shouldn't be like a kheer (more milk and less rice)

12. Switch off the gas, add the melted jaggery, and mix. Keep it covered so that the steam soaks in all the jaggery into the rice

13. As it cools, it should absorb all the moisture.

14. Serve with papad or bhajiyas.