Cranberry Rice

SrilathaIndian, Main Dish, South Indian Leave a Comment

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 Cranberry Rice
Spicy, tangy. Bright flavors. Vibrant color. That is cranberry rice, and could be a second cousin to the famous tamarind rice (puliyodarai/pulihora) of South India. Try it, to kickstart your taste buds!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Indian, South Indian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Main
  • 2 tbsp Prepared puliyodarai powder Spice mix that is generally added to tamarind rice
  • 1/2 cup Basmati rice, cooked and cooled See post on Basics: Cooking Rice for mixed rice for instructions
  • 1 packet Fresh cranberries Available during the holiday season; do not use dried cranberry
  • 1 tsp Salt More or less, per taste
  • 1 tbsp Brown sugar, or jaggery Jaggery available in Indian stores
  • 1 tbsp Cooking oil Sesame oil preferred. If not, any cooking oil except extra virgin olive oil can be used
  • 5-6 pieces Dried red chilies, broken into pieces
Seasoning Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp Cooking oil
  • 1 sprig Curry leaves
  • 1 Tbsp Chana dhal Bengal gram
  • 1 tbsp Urad dhal Skinned, split or whole black gram
  • 1 tsp Hing Asafoetida, powder
  • 2 tbsp Raw peanuts
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp Black mustard seeds
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Indian, South Indian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Main
  • 2 tbsp Prepared puliyodarai powder Spice mix that is generally added to tamarind rice
  • 1/2 cup Basmati rice, cooked and cooled See post on Basics: Cooking Rice for mixed rice for instructions
  • 1 packet Fresh cranberries Available during the holiday season; do not use dried cranberry
  • 1 tsp Salt More or less, per taste
  • 1 tbsp Brown sugar, or jaggery Jaggery available in Indian stores
  • 1 tbsp Cooking oil Sesame oil preferred. If not, any cooking oil except extra virgin olive oil can be used
  • 5-6 pieces Dried red chilies, broken into pieces
Seasoning Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp Cooking oil
  • 1 sprig Curry leaves
  • 1 Tbsp Chana dhal Bengal gram
  • 1 tbsp Urad dhal Skinned, split or whole black gram
  • 1 tsp Hing Asafoetida, powder
  • 2 tbsp Raw peanuts
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp Black mustard seeds
Instructions
  1. Heat oil from main ingredients
  2. Add dried red chilies
  3. When they turn color slightly, add washed cranberries and 1 tsp salt
  4. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, mashing the cranberries into a pulp as they cook. Cranberries cook very quickly. Once they become pulpy, simmer for a few minutes, until they reach a chutney consistency. At this point, add the jaggery/brown sugar and mix it well
  5. In the meantime, keep the cooled rice, with a tsp of salt added to it
  6. Add 2-3 tbsp of the cranberry chutney, and mix gently, without mashing the rice
  7. Add one tsp of the prepared puliyodarai powder to the mixed rice and mix it.
  8. Add the curry leaves, turmeric and hing to the center of the rice
  9. Heat oil from seasoning ingredients
  10. When it's hot, add the mustard seeds, and let them splutter/pop
  11. Now reduce the heat, add the channa dhal, urad dhal, peanuts and fry them
  12. Turn the stove off, and pour this seasoning mix on top of the rice in the middle
  13. Mix gently, and serve with a side of raita or fried papads
Recipe Notes

This recipe is a mix of several word of mouth instructions from a few of my friends. My addition to this is the spice powder (puliyodarai powder) that I always make and keep on hand. I use this powder to spice up dry vegetables, as well as mixed rices.

See recipe at Puliyodarai/Spice powder for tamarind rice

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