Coconut Rice / Thenga Chor

Thenga Chor or Coconut Rice has a lot of variations from region to region. I have seen ones with grated coconut, with coconut milk, ones which are seasoned with mustard, and lots more. The one I have here, I am assuming, is a Southern Tamil Nadu version as my MIL is the one who introduced me to this. This is a highly flavorful rice with the addition of cinnamon and fenugreek. This is one dish that you could make for a special occasion like you make a biryani or ghee rice and serve with a spicy meat curry like Chicken Curry or Mutton Curry, preferably a Nadan (Traditional) style curry or a spicy vegetable curry.

Serves 5-6 people

Refined Oil or Coconut Oil	- 2 tbsp
Shallots	- 15-20
Green Chilly	- 2
Ginger Garlic Paste	- 2 tbsp
Coconut Milk	- 1/2 cup (thick)
Water	- 3 1/2 cup
Cinnamon	- 2 - 1" piece
Fenugreek	- 1 tsp
Jeera Rice	- 2 cups
Salt	- to taste

1.  Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. You could also use Basmati rice or Sona Masoori rice.

2. In a mixer grind the shallots and green chilly with very little water into a coarse paste.

3. Heat oil in a pan big enough for making the rice. I used coconut oil to give it that added flavor.

4. Add the shallot-green chilly paste and ginger garlic paste to the oil and saute until the raw smell is gone and the mixture is almost dry. Don't let it brown.

5. Add coconut milk and water to the pan and add salt to taste.

6. Add Cinnamon and fenugreek to the water and let it boil.

7. Add the drained rice to the boiling water.

8. Stir it in between and when the water is almost gone, turn off the stove. Rice may not be completely done at this point, it may be a little over 3/4 done.

9. Close the pan with a tight lid and keep it closed for 30 minutes.

10. After 30 minutes, the rice will be ready to serve with each grain separated out.

The special fragrance and taste that fenugreek adds to the rice is unbelievable considering that it is an ingredient with a slightly bitter taste; rest assured that you will not get any feel of that bitterness in this rice.