Ghee Rice Recipe Kerala Style Nei Choru Neychoru Whiskaffair

on Jun 21, 2022, Updated Apr 03, 2024 You may like some more rice recipes: Tahri, Hyderabadi Bagara Rice, Jeera Rice, and South Indian Lemon Rice.

About Ghee Rice

Ghee Rice (Nei Choru, Neychoru) is a flavourful one-pot Kerala-style rice dish made using white rice, ghee, and a few spices. It is especially popular in the Malabar region of Kerala. This simple rice dish comes together quickly using a few simple ingredients. It is served with curries and lentils for everyday meals, special occasions, and festivals. Nei choru is also great to pack for school or office lunch boxes. Any Malayali mess you go to, neychoru will be on their menu served along with prawn roast, kurma, or stew. This perfect ghee rice recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. I like to make it in a pan over the stovetop, but you can also make it in a traditional pressure cooker or instant pot. I have mentioned the processes below.

Variations

Coconut Ghee Rice – You can cook the rice in thin coconut milk instead of water or add grated fresh coconut to the recipe. Ghee – This is the key ingredient that adds a nice aroma to this dish. Use the best quality ghee for the best taste and flavor. Spices – You will need aromatic spices like green cardamoms (hari elaichi), cinnamon (dalchini), black peppercorns (kali mirch), and cloves (laung). Lightly crush them in a mortar and pestle for the best flavor. You can also add bay leaf, cumin seeds, fennel seeds (saunf), and star anise (chakri phool) to this recipe. Others – You will also need onions, green chilies, cashew nuts, raisins, salt, and water. Adjust the green chilies as per your taste. If you are making it for kids, you can skip them, too. Heat 3 tablespoon ghee in a pan over medium heat. Now add 10-12 raisins to the pan and fry until they plump up. Remove the cashew nuts and raisins to a bowl and keep them aside.

1-inch piece of cinnamon stick 2 whole green cardamoms 2-3 cloves 2-3 whole black peppercorns

Add ½ cup thinly sliced onions to the pan and fry until they turn dark brown (4-5 minutes), stirring frequently.

2-3 green chilies (slit into half) 2 cups of water ½ teaspoon salt fried cashews and raisins

Stir gently. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook undisturbed for 20-25 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked well. Remove the pan from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Vegetable Neychoru – You can also add vegetables like green peas, potatoes, French beans, and carrots to make vegetable ghee rice. Fruits Ghee Rice – You can add fruits such as mangoes, pineapple, or pomegranates just like vegetables. Nuts-Loaded Nei Choru – Along with raisins and cashews, add more dried nuts such as pistachios and almonds or dry fruits like cranberries and apricots. Egg Ghee Rice – Scramble an egg and mix it up with the cooked rice.