Nuchi is the Coconut Rice made in Konkani households as a breakfast dish. It is simple, fragrant and delicious on its own. This is one of the easiest ways to use leftover rice. 10 minutes (at most) from start to finish (if you have left-over rice) and your breakfast is sorted. This is a good recipe for people who are getting used to cooking, for bachelors and for people who are in a hurry in the mornings. This is perfect for those days when you do not want to cook elaborate dishes. And if you are following a vegan or gluten-free diet, Nuchi or Konkani Style Coconut rice is ideal for you. If you are looking for an easy way to use coconut oil in your diet, give this a try.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving break. Quiet family time, lotsa cooking and binge photoshoot for the upcoming blog posts - marked our days during the last week. Sonshine had a 5-day break from school and it was fun spending time with him.
If you had swung by my house last week, you would have seen a messy house that is filled with aromas of freshly baked bread, cake and strudels. I baked, baked and baked and turned my house into a baker's wonderland.
Thanks to some gorgeous and warm weather over the weekend, we could hang Christmas lights. The house is a mess with the remnants of the boxes to piled back into the basement (empty boxes which held the Xmas lights) and some craft ideas that I found extremely inspiring that I could not wait to try. But, here I am staring at my computer and blogging away to glory instead of tackling the clutter. Oh, well. 🙂
If you have been following my blog for some time now, (THANK YOU so much for your support), you know that rice is a staple in our diet. And we (our ancestors) have developed various dishes to use up the leftover rice. Nuchi (Coconut Rice) is one such dish that refurbishes leftover rice and gives it a new meaning and taste.
This dish is special to me since this happened to be my mom's favorite dish. She loved simple dishes, nothing masaledaar, a simple tadka would be enough for her.
When you see the recipe for Nuchi at the end of this article, you will realize that it is perfect even for kids. You can control the spice and since you are using whole red chilies for the tadka or tempering, it is easy to remove them while serving it to people with a delicate palette.
The dish is tasty on its own, but if you insist on a side dish, serve it Indian style pickle or any other dry sabzi of your preference.
A few Notes About Nuchi Recipe
- I usually use leftover rice to prepare Nuchi. I use Sona Massoori rice (a small grained white rice very popular in South India. Here in the US, I get it from Costco) for my regular cooking and I just L-O-V-E it. I find Sona Masoori rice perfect for preparing Nuchi. My grandmother used to prepare Nuchi with broken white rice as well. (When she made it with broken rice, she would prepare it like you would make Upma with sooji)
- Typically Methi seeds are used for tadka or tempering. This makes the dish fragrant. But it does add a very subtle methi seed taste (a subtle bitterness) to the dish. Since Sonshine does not like it, I skip it. But I wanted to point out that to get the authentic taste of Nuchi, you have to use Methi seeds (Fenugreek seeds) in the tadka.
- Cashew nuts are not typically used, but I love the crunch they give, so I add them anyways.
- You can make this with freshly prepared rice, but make sure to cool it before adding it to tadka to prevent mushy rice.
- If you do not add salt while cooking rice, mix salt with the cooked rice before adding the rice to tadka.
- This is a good lunch box staple too.
Nuchi Recipe
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Nuchi
Nuchi is the Coconut Rice made in Konkani households as a breakfast item. It is simple, fragrant and delicious on its own. This is one of the easiest ways to use leftover rice. 10 minutes (at most) from start to finish (if you have left- over rice) and your breakfast is sorted. This is a good recipe for people who are getting used to cooking, may be for bachelors and for people who are in a hurry in the mornings. This is perfect for those days when you do not want to cook elaborate dishes. And if you are following a vegan or gluten-free diet, Nuchi or Konkani Style Coconut rice is ideal for you. If you are looking for a simple dish to use coconut oil in your diet, give this a try.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white rice; cooked and cooled (yields about 4 cups of cooked rice)
- 1 tablespoon oil (use coconut oil for authentic taste)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon udad dal
- ⅛ teaspoon methi seeds/fenugreek seeds (recommended for an authentic taste)
- 3-4 whole rec chillies; broken into pieces (adjust to taste)
- ¼ cup cashew nuts (optional)
- 8-10 curry leaves
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen and thawed)
Instructions
- Combine rice and salt and make sure the salt is mixed evenly. (See Recipe Notes)
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Add mustard seeds and when they splutter, add udad dal and fry for a minute or till it turns brown. Add broken red chillies, curry leaves and cashew nuts and fry till fragrant.
- Add the cooked rice and mix to combine well. Stir for a couple of minutes till the rice grains are heated thoroughly and evenly hot.
- Garnish with grated coconut.
- Serve hot.
Notes
I usually use leftover rice to prepare Nuchi. I use Sona Massoori rice.
Cashew nuts are not typically used, but I love the crunch they give, so I add them anyways.
You can make this with freshly prepared rice, but make sure to cool it before adding it to tadka to prevent mushy rice.
If you do not add salt while cooking rice, mix salt with the cooked rice before adding the rice to tadka.
Make sure the rice grains are evenly and thoroughly heated before removing from heat.
Looking for ways to use leftover rice? How about Akki roti or even Chinese Fried Rice?
Hope you enjoyed the Nuchi recipe and will give it a try.
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Till we meet again…
Namaste.
Deliciously Your’s,
S
P.S
If you have a favorite way to use leftover rice recipe, do share it in comments. You cannot have too many recipes, ever!
Blogger friends, do share your blog link for that recipe in the comments, I would love love love to check it out.
Priya Srinivasan says
Looks delicious, though it sounds like coconut rice, it so different. Next time i make i will try adding methi seeds!! So beautifully presented!
Framed Recipes says
Thank you Priya.