Kothamalli Sadam ~ Coriander Rice

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Finally, we are seeing signs of winter here. Though the temperatures have not plunged as such, the cold spell over the weekend has ushered some blowing winds and chill in the air. We had scattered drizzles and rains and expecting more of it over these days. The sight of the sky with thick cotton-candy like clouds and some black clouds is amazing. Whether it is the sunrise or the sunset, there is a lot of drama happening in the sky. My phone is filled with sky pictures that my girls complain that I hardly take pictures of them. It is so true… I don’t! When somebody asks me for the picture of the girls, I have to keep going through my pictures and show them one that is older, much to my embarrassment! 😀

I can’t believe my parents are here for two weeks now. Days seem to be flying quite fast… the girls have their school off for the winters and will only open after new year. We have been out almost everyday for some or the other reason despite the cold. It is a relief that the traffic has eased due to the school closures, and since Fajr prayers are late, I am able to squeeze an additional hour of sleep – ah, bliss! Hehe… The chill in the morning doesn’t make you feel like waking up and the ones in the evening just makes you feel lazy to even move off the couch! I love such weather, though it is making everybody sick. It doesn’t really matter, it is such a relief from the scorching summers we have in this part of the world…

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Coriander is a very loved green at my place. I love to chop it and add into everything possible. The aroma of it, especially if you get an organic bunch, is unbeatable! Of late, I was just having a look at my posts especially related to rice and almost all the recent ones shared are one pot meals like these! During the initial days, I used to post a lot of biriyani recipes but now I am slowly moving to making more of these one pots meals that have hardly anything in them to take out, mainly because my girls love these. They feel biriyani is tedious to eat since there is a lot of “extra stuff” in it which needs their utmost attention to clean up, before they can actually eat! 😕 I thought it was just with my girls but then I sensed it is there in almost all families. At the moment, I am only thinking of recreating the biriyani recipes and posting them again with new pictures since most of them were clicked ages ago and have some horrendous pictures. 😀

OK, coming back to the recipe for today, I had mentioned in my sambar saadam post of how much I love Tamilians for all these one pot meals that they have come up with to make life easy. This Milagu Saadam is another favorite of mine. Since I love the aroma of coriander and always end up having extras in the fridge I don’t want to throw away, this rice is a natural winner. There are various ways of making this dish, and this is the way I like to make it. I grind the paste and saute it for sometime to avoid any raw smell and also cook the rice in part coconut milk for an additional flavor. You can very well use plain water instead. Even the spices can be adjusted up and down as per personal requirement. All in all, it is a very simple dish that can be made for a comforting lunch and needs nothing more than some raita and a splash of pickle. Off to the recipe…

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Coriander Rice

Course Lunch

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of rice soaked for 30 minutes and drained
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• FOR GRINDING:
• 2 cups coriander leaves with the stem
• 3 pearl onions peeled
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 green chillies
• A squeeze of lime juice

Instructions

• Grind the ingredients under "for grinding" into a smooth paste and set aside.
• Heat ghee in a saucepan. Briefly fry the whole spices. Splutter the cumin.
• Add in the ground paste and saute till raw smell is gone.
• Add the rice and toss well, and saute for few minutes till crisp.
• Add in the coconut milk and water along with sufficient salt and keep on high flame till boiling.
• Keep the flame on the lowest, close the lid and cook till the rice is done.
• Sprinkle in the garam masala and give it a good stir. Serve warm.