Nei Choru with Mattu Roast/ Ghee Rice with Egg Roast

Nei Choru is an aromatic savory rice dish made with rice, ghee, and spices. This recipe is a Malabar special and from Kerala cuisine. In Malayalam ‘Nei’ or ‘ney’ means ghee and ‘Choru’ means rice. This is a very simple recipe and takes your simple meal to a different level. Rather than having plain steamed rice, some more work and you get fragrant and delicious rice that goes with any dal or egg curry or roast.

Ingredients for Nei Choru

1 cup basmati rice

6-7 tsp ghee /oil

2 sliced onions

2 slit green chillies

2 cloves/lavang

1/2 inch cinnamon/ dalchini

1 bay leaf

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

Salt to taste

for garnishing:

Chopped coriander leaves

2-3 tbsp fried onion slices

Procedure

• Wash and soak rice in water for 1/2 an hour

• In cooker put ghee /oil and add lavang,dalchini, and bay leaf and fry for a minute

• Put the green chilli and onion slices and saute for 5 minutes

• Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears

• Drain water from the rice and add to it and fry for 3-4 mins

• Add 1 1/2 cups water, salt and close the lid

• Switch off the gas after 2 whistles

• Open the cooker and gently mix the rice, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and shallow fried onion

• Serve hot with raita or any spicy gravies.

Ingredients for Mattu Roast

4 hard-boiled eggs

3-4 tsp oil

2 finely chopped onions

1 tbsp finely chopped garlic

2 sprigs of curry leaves

salt to taste

For the masala paste:

2 tsp coriander seeds / dhaniya seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds/jeera

1/4 tsp carom seeds/ajwain

1/4 tsp mustard

8 Byadgi / Kashmiri dry red chillies

6 garlic cloves

1/2 inch ginger piece

Marble size tamarind

Procedure

• Heat a tsp of oil in a pan and roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, ajwain, mustard seeds and red chillies.

• Cool it and grind with garlic, ginger and make a smooth paste.

• Remove the shell of the boiled eggs. Prick it with the fork.

• Apply little salt and keep aside.

• Heat oil in the pan, add curry leaves and chopped garlic. Once the garlic turns light brown add chopped onions and fry till they turn transparent.

• Now add the masala paste as per your taste and fry till the raw smell disappears.

• Add 1/4 cup water, mix well. add salt to taste and place the boiled eggs in the masala.

• Cook till the eggs are well blended with the masala. Cook further for 5 more minutes and turn off the flame. garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

• Serve hot egg roast with ghee rice.