Masale Bhat-- Spiced Rice- maharashtrian delight.

Masale bhat or spiced rice is  a true Marathi delight. No traditional meal is complete without inclusion of this rice. Every house has its own way and style of making this recipe. My younger munchkin loves this rice, but dislikes any veggies so I did not put any of the veggies, as I wanted him to enjoy the rice the way he likes. I guess its OK sometimes to relax the Eat your veggies rule for them also.

You will need;
1 cup rice-- ideally basmati is used, but I have used Sona Masoori
2 cups water-boiling
1 tbspn goda masala-- Maharashtrian black masala. it is important as it gives it it's distinctive taste.
1tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp haldi/turmeric
1 tsp red Cayenne powder for medium heat
1 bay leaf
2-3 cloves
8-10 peppercorns
8-10 cashews
Salt for taste
2 tbspn oil

Veggies-optional
Tindora-cut into long strips
Carrots, peas and potato, arnd 3/4 cup mixture of all

Garnish;
 Fresh grated coconut and cilantro
dallop of clarified butter/ghee

Wash and drain the rice for 30-45 mins.
In a wok, heat oil, then add the cloves, bay leaf, peppercorns and stir well till the oil gets the flavor of the cloves, then add the veggies and fry it well.then add the rice and roast it well. Then add the turmeric, red cayenne powder, cumin and coriander powder, cashews, salt and the goda masala. let the masala fry well, then add the boiling water to the rice. Cover and let cook the rice for 10-15 mins. Take care that the rice does not stick to the pan, so keep a close eye on the rice. take off the heat, and garnish with cilantro and freshly grated coconut. I did not add cilantro as the head chef was my younger munchkin who decided what would go on the rice for that day!!

Hope you make this marathi delight very soon and update me on how your family likes it.

Sedning this to Gayathri's WTML event  guest hosted by Vegetarian Food and Me.