Masale bhaat with tindora toasted coconut and sesame
Lalkila Kitchen · Rice · Vegetarian · Plant based · Everyday cooking
A freshly roasted spice and coconut mixture coats the rice in this archive masale bhaat. Tindora, also called ivy gourd, gives the pot a vegetable component. Have the ingredients ready before heating the oil so the tempering does not burn while you measure.
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup tindora (ivy gourd), quartered lengthways
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry shredded coconut
- 4 cloves
- 2 cinnamon pieces, each about 2 cm
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 6 curry leaves
- A pinch of asafoetida
- 1 to 4 green chillies, slit, to taste
- 5 to 6 cashews, broken
- 3 tablespoons oil
- About 2 cups water, with a little extra if needed
- Salt to taste
- Fresh grated coconut and chopped coriander, to finish
Method
- Gently roast the dry coconut, coriander seeds, cumin, sesame, cloves and cinnamon, stirring until fragrant and the coconut is golden. Cool and grind.
- Heat oil in a heavy pot. Add mustard seeds, then carefully add curry leaves, asafoetida and chillies as the seeds crackle.
- Add tindora and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften. Add drained rice, the ground mixture and cashews. Stir gently to coat.
- Add salt and about 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat until the rice and tindora are tender. If the pot dries before the rice is ready, add a small splash of hot water.
- Let the covered pot settle off the heat, then fluff gently and finish with fresh coconut and coriander. Remove any unground whole spice fragments.
Cooking notes
Contains sesame and cashews; compounded asafoetida may contain wheat. Rice brands and pot lids affect water needs. Quarter the tindora thinly enough to cook alongside the rice.
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Source and adaptation
Adapted from Masale Bhaat, Indian Recipes in Joseph Paul's approved archive, PDF pages 15–16; no named author is given.
This is an editorial adaptation, not a recipe kitchen-tested by Lalkila. FoodSafety.gov cooking temperatures and safe food handling provide the safety references.