Scrumptious Narali Bhat is a traditional Maharashtrian recipe that’s specifically made during the festival of Narali Pournima and Raksha Bandhan. But this Maharashtrian dish can also be enjoyed any other time of the year or during any special occasion.
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This authentic Marathi recipe uses scraped coconut and jaggery to add an interesting combination of flavour and texture to the rice. This Sweet Coconut Rice recipe is very easy and simple to make, check out a quick video below to see how it is made.
Quick, easy to follow video with step-by-step instructions of how to make Narali Bhat:
Narali Purnima is a festival that is celebrated in the month of Shravan on the full-moon day, towards the end of the monsoon season, in the coastal region of the state of Maharashtra in India. This Narali Bhat recipe (नारळी भात) is made during this festival using rice, coconut and jaggery as main ingredients.
Cooking Rice and Jaggery to Perfection
Narali Bhaat is a fairly simple and straight-forward dish to make, even for new cooks. There are just two things you need to be careful about: not overcooking the rice or jaggery.
Cook rice only till it is 80% done. As soon as rice grain is soft enough to break but still holds it shape firm, drain the rice, spread it on a plate and let it cool down. Cooking rice any further will make it really sticky and mushy in the end, as it does get cooked a little more later when it’s mixed with jaggery.
Cook jaggery only till it melts on low heat. Add cooked rice immediately after the jaggery has melted to avoid it from cooking further and turning into thick, sticky syrup. You can adjust the amount of jaggery used according to your taste. Some recipes also use sugar instead of jaggery to make Narali Bhat.
Use a heavy bottom or non-stick pan to make this Sweet Coconut Rice as it does tend to stick at the bottom.
Ingredients like ghee (clarified butter), cloves (Laung) and green cardamom (Elaichi) in this recipe make Narali Bhat even more flavourful.
Adding cashew nuts and raisins / sultanas is completely optional, you can skip these if you are not making it for any special occasion.
After mixing all the ingredients, let Narali Bhat cook for a couple of minutes. Then remove from heat and let it cool down slightly before serving. This will ensure that flavours of jaggery, ghee and spices penetrate deep into each and every grain of rice.
Delicious traditional Narali Bhat will then be ready to serve as a part of a satisfying meal or just as a flavourful, comforting sweet dish or as a dessert.
As this Maharashtrian Narali Bhat recipe uses all natural ingredients, it’s a great option for people looking out for healthier sweet dishes. It’s also an ideal sweet for vegetarians or ones on a gluten-free diet.
This recipe makes flavoursome Narali Bhat that is not sticky or mushy but has each rice grain separate. It has a distinctive and appetizing taste and flavour, which will keep you wanting for more.
Check out the Recipe Card and Step-by-Step Instructions with Photos below.
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Recipe Card for Maharashtrian Narali Bhat:
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Step-by-step instructions with photos for Maharashtrian Narali Bhaat:
• Heat 1 TBSP clarified butter in a pan on medium setting and add cloves (Laung).
• Then add soaked & drained rice and mix well.
• To this add 4 cups water and salt and let rice cook whilst stirring occasionally.
• Cook rice till it is 80% done (it should be soft enough to break but still hold its shape firm)
• Drain the rice and spread it on a plate.
• Let it cool down.
• Then heat a heavy bottom or non-stick pan on low setting and add jaggery (Gur), 1 tsp water, coconut and mix well.
• Cook till the jaggery (Gur) has melted.
• Then add rice - little at a time and mix well.
• Now add cashew nuts, raisins/sultanas, green cardamom (Elaichi) powder and mix.
• Finally add 1 TBSP clarified butter (ghee), mix and cook for another minute or two and then switch off the heat.
• Let the rice cool down slightly before serving.
• Maharashtrian Narali Bhat is now ready. Enjoy!
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