Sweet Coconut Rice – Narali Bhat

Make this Sweet Coconut Rice or Narali Bhat on the auspicious day of Narali Purnima. This flavorful rice is made with aromatic basmati rice, ghee, fresh coconut, and jaggery. Some saffron, cardamom, and spices are added for flavoring. 

Narali Bhat is a delicious and flavorful sweetened coconut rice that is prepared on a full moon day in the month of shravan in Maharashtra. This day has great significance to the Koli (fisherman) community. Narali Purnima coincides with Raksha Bandhan, so prepare this amazing tasting rice to impress your brother 🙂

On Shravan Purnima, fishermen offered coconuts and coconut flavored sweet dishes to the ocean God. This day is marked as the end of the monsoon season and the start of the fishing season. Fishermen pray to the God of the ocean for the invoking prosperity and their safe return from the ocean. 

Generally I don’t enjoy sweetened rice but the combination of coconut and jaggery in the rice is so good. The flavors of saffron, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, and bay leaf are simply heavenly. There is another version of this rice called Sakhar Bhat which is made by using sugar and it tastes amazing as well. 

Making this sweet coconut rice is not that hard. It is a quick and simple recipe which is very tasty and heavenly. It is made by cooking the rice at the beginning and cooling it down later. After that, mix some freshly grated coconut and jaggery with the rice and cook the ingredients together until well combined. 

Sweet coconut rice tastes amazing on its own when fresh. It tastes even better the next day as all the flavors are released in the dish. 

Ingredients

• Rice
• Coconut
• Jaggery
• Salt
• Ghee
• Milk
• Cardamom
• Cardamom powder
• Cloves
• Black pepper
• Cinnamon
• Bay leaf 
• Saffron
• Almonds
• Cashew nuts
• Pistachios
• Golden raisins
• Saffron food color

Sweet Coconut Rice Step By Step Recipe

Triple wash the rice and soak it in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Remove all the water and set aside. 

In an Indian pressure pan/cooker, heat some ghee, 2 slightly crushed whole cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, peppers, and a bay leaf. 

Transfer the rice, roast it for 2 minutes, and add 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. 

Let the rice cook until you hear 2 whistles on medium high heat, lower the temperature for 5 minutes, and switch off the stove. 

Once the natural pressure is released, fluff the rice with a fork, and transfer it to the big plate to cool down. 

In a small bowl, add 2 tsp warm milk, some saffron strands, and set the bowl aside. 

Toast the cashew nuts, almonds, and pistachios for 1 minute in a pan or in a microwave safe bowl, stirring between. Set them aside. 

Transfer the jaggery, freshly grated coconut, cardamom seeds, cardamom powder, saffron milk, salt, golden raisins, and toasted nuts into the rice. Gently mix everything with your hands. 

Heat a wide pan on low-medium, transfer the rice mixture, cover the pan with a lid for 7-8 minutes, and let the jaggery melt down. 

Add a pinch of saffron food coloring if you wish.

Remove the lid, gently stir the rice with a spatula, and set the stove to low heat. Cover the pan with a lid and let the rice cook further for 10-12 minutes stirring between. You will need to cook the rice until all the moisture is out and well combined. 

Turn off the heat and serve. 

Tips For Making Sweet Coconut Rice

• Always use a good quality long grain basmati rice for making this recipe. 
• I highly recommend using freshly grated coconut. You can buy frozen coconut as well from the Indian store. 
• Cooking the rice soft at the beginning is very important. The rice gets cooked further with some jaggery and might turn hard if not cooked soft at the beginning. 

Variations

• You can cook the rice directly in the pan for about 13-15 minutes or until cooked well. 
• Cook the rice in an instant pot, make sure to add 1.5 cups of water, and cook the rice on high for 6 minutes. 
• If you like the rice more sweet, feel free to add some more jaggery or add 2-3 tbsp sugar in the recipe. 
• A good amount of coconut tastes wonderful in the rice. You may reduce the quantity by adding 1 to 1 ¼ cup coconut in the recipe. 
• Adding food color is completely optional. 
• To make it a vegan friendly rice, you can add some coconut oil while cooking the rice. 

How To Store Sweet Coconut Rice?

Store the leftover coconut rice in an airtight container for the best tasting rice not more than 2-3 days. Reheat the rice in the microwave or on a stovetop.

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