NELLIKAYI CHITRANNA

NELLIKAYI CHITRANNA

Chitranna is a generic name for seasoned rice popular in my home state of Karnataka. You will find recipes for Nimbehannu Chitranna or Lime Rice , and Maavinkayi Chitranna or Mango Rice elsewhere in this blog.

Likewise, Nellikayi Chitranna is a form of rice made with gooseberries which are called "Nellikayi " in Kannada. They are called Amla in Hindi and Avalo in Konkani, my mother tongue. Gooseberries are supposed to be rich in Vitamin C.

You can make this with either the big variety of gooseberries or even the smaller ones. Today's dish has been made with the smaller gooseberries. Some make this with red chillies, others with green chillies. I have used both and as usual I have used red chillies of the Byadgi variety.

If you are using freshly made rice, ensure it is fully cooled and that the rice grains are separate from each other and not in clumps when used for this dish.

I am grateful to my friend Kalpana for her inputs in making this dish. We enjoyed this thoroughly and I am sure you would too.

Ingredients:

• Gooseberries, 1/2 cup
• Cooked Rice, 3 cups
• Coconut Gratings, 1/4 cup
• Green Chillies, 2
• Red Chillies, roasted, 3
• Asafoetida ( Hing) , a large pinch, roasted in a little oil
• Fried Gram, ( Hurigadle in Kannada) 1 tbsp
• Methi Powder, 1/2 tsp ( dry roast the methi seeds and grind to a powder) 
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Jaggery, 1/2 tsp
• Groundnuts, roasted, 2 tbsp

For Seasoning:

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli. broken into two pieces, 1 
• Urad Dal, 2  tsp
• Channa Dal, 2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, 1 sprig
• Oil, 2 tbsp 

Method:

Wash the gooseberries and de-seed them.
Chop them into small pieces and keep aside
In a mixer, using least amount of water, grind the gooseberries, coconut gratings, green chillies, roasted red chillies, asafoetida, fried gram, methi powder, and jaggery to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

In a kadhai, add oil and when it gets hot, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add urad dal and channa dal. Fry till they become a light golden brown in colour. Add the broken red chillies, and then the curry leaves and saute.

Add the ground paste and fry for a while till the raw smell goes.
Now add the cooked rice, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well till the rice is blended properly with the ground paste.
Garnish with roasted groundnuts

Serve with curd pachadi or fried happala (a form of pappad)