Lagnacha Masale Bhaat

Another FAVOURITE dish coming right up!!!
LAGNACHA Masale Bhaat... I have always called it by this name... reason, well, this is a must have in most Maharashtrian weddings.
I remember in my childhood (gosh, makes me feel so very old when I say this!!!) when weddings were not as grand as today not with multi-cuisine. The menu was (mostly)Varan Bhaat, Masale Bhaat, Puri- Bhaji, Jilebi/ Gulab Jamun, bhaji and with mattha to wash it down. What distinguished this Masale Bhaat was the flavour! It was made on a typical 'Chulha' / 'shegdi' and coked on a coal fire. The tantalising aroma of the masale bhaat would waft thru the entire hall and make all the wedding guests very hungry and immediately after the 'muhurat' they would make a dash for the dining area where the tables would be neatly set with either gleaming plates or banana leaves.

I would eat only Masale Bhaat! That was the prime reason why I attended the wedding!! Somehow home made masale bhaat does not carry that 'punch'.. or so i thought!!

Till the day I came upon this version I had to try this!!! I had taken a print out long back, meaning to try it out, but I did not have a coffee / spice grinder then... but now that I do, I was very eager to add this recipe to my Favourites!! So here goes....

The only changes I made were in using 3 cloves and 1 , 2cm stick of Cinnamon (M claims that he 'smokes' fumes thru his ears and nose after getting 'hit' with lavang /clovesand dalchini/ cinnamon!), and i could not get any fresh tondli/ gherkins , so I substituted the same with onion and potato

I am putting down the recipe ( copy pasted from Ashwini's blog) for easy reference, the link is also provided above.

MASALE BHAAT (serves 2-3)

1 cup Basmati rice

1 cup gherkins (tondli/ tindora), quartered (I used 1 med. onion and 1 med potato sliced thin)

1/3 cup + 2 tbsp dry, shredded coconut (copra)

4 cloves2 (2cms) cinnamon sticks

1 tbsp sesame seeds

2 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds1 tsp mustard seeds

a few curry leaves

a pinch of asafoetida

3-4 green chillies, slit (adjust to taste)

5-6 cashewnuts, broken

3-4 tbsp oil

salt to taste

fresh coconut and cilantro for garnishing

Wash the rice in two to three changes of water. Drain and keep aside.On moderate heat, roast the copra, coriander seeds, cumin, sesame, cloves and cinnamon till the coconut turns golden. Let cool. Put in a spice/ coffee grinder and grind into a powder. Keep aside.Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add curry leaves, asafoetida and chillies and saute for a few minutes. Next add gherkins and saute some more. Add rice and mix well. Add the powdered spices and mix until the rice is well coated. Add cashews and season to taste. Add about two cups of water, cover the pan with a lid and cook until the rice is done.Garnish with fresh coconut and cilantro. Serve hot with a raita and fried papad.

This recipe is a keeper!! AWESOME!!!! Though I tried this recipe from a fellow blogger I would like to include it for RCI @ Nupur's One Hot Stove as it is the first time I have tried making this dish and from scratch.. and I was soooooooooooooooooooo thrilled that it turned out just the way I wanted it!!! Pin It