Malabar Masala Choru|Kerala-Style Curried Rice

The recipe that I am going to present to you today is that for Malabar Masala Choru or Kerala-Style Curried Rice. This is a simple rice dish, one made with minimal ingredients, yet absolutely delicious. It is a one-pot dish as well, one that you can make in a pressure cooker (or pan) within a matter of minutes. Perfect for those times when you are pressed for time, but want to eat something hearty!

I recently made this Kerala-Style Curried Rice for a weekend lunch, and it was a crowd pleaser! Everyone loved it, including my little daughter. 🙂 It made for a refreshing change from the kind of pulao I am used to cooking, too – those involve quite a bit of grinding and chopping, while there’s none of that in this recipe. I know, for sure, that I am going to be making this again, many more times.

The credit for this recipe goes to the very talented blogger Rafeeda, who authors The Big Sweet Tooth. As the name suggests, Rafeeda’s blog is full of dessert recipes, including some incredible bakes. For this Malabar Masala Choru, I have largely followed Rafeeda’s instructions, with a few variations and additions of my own.

I cooked this dish for Food Bloggers Recipe Swap, a Facebook group that I am part of. Every month, the food bloggers in the group pair up, and each pair cooks dishes from their partner’s blog. Great way to explore food from different parts of the world, I say! Mireille, author of The Schizo Chef, who is spearheading the recipe swap group, paired me with Rafeeda for this month. I decided on this simple savoury dish from Rafeeda’s blog.

Now, without further ado, let’s check out the way I prepared this delectable Malabar Masala Choru.

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

1. 1-1/2 cups basmati rice
2. 1 medium-sized onion
3. 1 medium-sized tomato
4. 3 green chillies
5. 5-6 cloves of garlic
6. 4 tablespoons fresh, shelled green peas
7. 1 tablespoon ghee
8. Salt to taste
9. 1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder
10. Red chilli powder to taste
11. 1 teaspoon garam masala or to taste
12. 1 teaspoon coriander powder
13. 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
14. 10-12 fresh mint leaves

Method:

1. Firstly, we will prep the vegetables you need to make this Malabar Masala Choru. Peel the garlic cloves and the onion. Crush the garlic cloves roughly, using a mortar and pestle. Chop the onion finely. Chop the tomato finely as well. Slit the green chillies length-wise. Keep aside.
2. Wash the basmati rice in running water, a couple of times. Drain out the excess water. Keep aside.
3. Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker bottom. Add the chopped onion, along with a little salt. Saute on medium flame till the onion begins to brown.
4. Add the shelled green peas, crushed garlic and slit green chillies to the pressure cooker. Saute for a minute.
5. Now, add the washed and drained rice to the cooker, along with 3 cups of water. Also, add in the chopped tomatoes, salt to taste, red chilli powder to taste, turmeric powder, garam masala and coriander powder. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
6. Close the pressure cooker and put the whistle on. Pressure cook on high flame for 4 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.
7. When the pressure has completely gone down, open the cooker. Fluff up the rice gently.
8. Serve the Malabar Masala Choru hot, garnished with finely chopped coriander and mint leaves (roughly torn using your hands).
9. You can use a couple more green chillies in the above recipe and do away with the red chilli powder entirely, too. I think that is just what I would like to do when I make this the next time.

Notes:

1. The key to getting this recipe right is keeping it really simple. Minimal ingredients (only basic stuff, nothing more than that) have been used. Spice powders have been used only in limited quantities, just enough to make the dish fragrant and not overpower it. I like the recipe as is but, if you must, you can add in some ginger; other veggies (like carrot or cauliflower); whole spices like cardamom, cloves or cinnamon; and other ingredients like paneer (cottage cheese) and/or cooked soya chunks.
2. The original recipe asks for the rice to be cooked in a pan. However, I have used a pressure cooker to do so. You can use any of these techniques you prefer. Also, I have changed the quantities of certain ingredients used in the original recipe (albeit a little) and made a couple of additions of my own.
3. I have used fresh green peas here. You may use frozen ones instead, too.
4. This Malabar Masala Choru does not really need an accompaniment. It is quite flavourful on its own. However, if you wish to serve this with an accompaniment, a raita would be the best choice.
5. Basmati rice or any other fragrant variety of rice would be best to make this dish.
6. Add the mint leaves and coriander to the Malabar Masala Choru only after it is fully cooked and ready, just before serving. This rice tastes best when served hot.
7. At 4 whistles, my Malabar Masala Choru was well cooked, but not overly so. It was just right for us. If you would like a grainier version, cook for 3 whistles on high flame.

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!

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Check out what the other members of the Food Bloggers Recipe Swap have dished up for this month!

Cantaloupe, Beetroot & Carrot Smoothie by Jayashree| Pumpkin Chia Popsicles by Seema| Non-Alcoholic Green Apple Martini by Jagruti| Double Bean Sriracha Hummus by Rafeeda| Instant Semolina Idli by Mayuri| Rice Flour by Sasmita| Vegan Pumpkin Falafel by Lathiya| Instant Ragi Idli by Renu| Blueberry Cardamom Lemon Muffins by Ali| Githeri by Mireille| Cheat’s Chocolate Bread by Nayna| Green Chickpea Salad by Archana| Dry Garlic Chutney Powder by Sandhya

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I’m sharing this recipe with Fiesta Friday #260. The co-hosts this week are Mollie @ Frugal Hausfrau and Diann @ Of Goats and Greens.