A popular rice-based dish in South India is chitranna. Cooked rice is combined with a unique flavour called Oggarane or Gojju to make it. Mustard seeds, fried lentils, peanuts, curry leaves, chillies, lemon juice, and other optional ingredients such as scraps of unripe mango are characteristics of the seasoning. The yellow colour of Chitranna is created by adding turmeric powder. Although they are not typically included in recipes, some people also add garlic and onions to the seasoning. The dish has become a staple of the cuisine in the south Indian state of Karnataka, where it is especially well-liked.
Ingredients
1. 1 cup Rice
2. 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil / Canola Oil / Vegetable Oil
3. 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
4. 1 teaspoon Urad dal
5. 1 tablespoon Chana Dal
6. ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
7. A pinch Asafoetida / Hing
8. ¼ cup Peanuts
9. 10 to 15 Cashews
10. 1 Dry red chilli broken
11. 1 Green chile chopped
12. 1 tablespoon Ginger chopped
13. 10 Curry leaves or approx 1 sprig
14. ¼ cup Coriander leaves / Cilantro chopped
15. 2 tablespoon Lemon juice adjust as per taste
16. Salt to taste
Method
1. Any technique that you are comfortable with can be used to cook the rice. While the rice is cooking, add salt.
2. Use a fork to separate the grains of rice once it has finished cooking and reached room temperature. Put that aside.
3. This dish takes less than 10 minutes to prepare if you already have rice. For a variation, I made this recipe with Basmati rice. You can choose any kind of rice.
4. On medium heat, warm the oil in a pan or kadai. When the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium-low, add the mustard seeds, and when they begin to sputter, add the urad dal, the chana dal, the hing, and the turmeric powder. Continue to cook until the rawness of the turmeric has worn out and the dal has turned a light golden colour.
5. Add ginger, curry leaves, red, green, and cashew chiles, and sauté until the cashews and peanuts are toasted.
6. Rice, coriander leaves, lemon juice, and salt as needed should be added to this tempering and mixed.
7. Chitranna is ready to be served!