Sardine Rice or Mathi choru

 

                                          Sardine Fish Rice

                                       (Mathi  Chatti Choru)

 

Mathi Choru, a typical Kerala lunch made with fried sardines and rice. I ‘m getting highly experimental. This is a Sardine flavoured biriyani. Very easy and quick fish biriyani. You don’t need many ingredients  to prepare this rice. All ingredients are easily available in our kitchen. Usually we make curry or fry with the sardines, but this is very different recipe. Without taking much time let’s straight go to the recipe.

Method

Clean the fish and marinate  with little turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and keep it for half an hour. 

Heat oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the fish flipping both sides and keep it aside.

                                     

In another pan heat 2 to 2  1/2 table spoon coconut oil add 1 tsp fennel seeds. Fry this well . Then add  thinly sliced onions and saute till it becomes slightly golden brown in colour. Now add few curryleaves and 2 whole red chillies. Saute this also. Add crushed ginger garlic paste and green chilly  and fry for some time . Once this is done  add  turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder, pepper powder and garam masala powder. Saute until the raw smell goes off in a low flame.

Next add sliced tomatoes and continue frying till they are cooked. Mash the tomatoes well.  Once mashed, add 1/4^th of lemon juice. Mix well.

Add 3 cups of water and salt as needed . Cover and let it boil. Now add strained rice which is soaked for half an hour. Mix well and allow to boil.

Place fried fish on top of this . Now you should not mix  it with a spatula. 

                                            

Cover on medium flame until 3/4^th  of the rice is done. Simmer and close the lid and let it cook for  10 to 12 minutes. After 12 minutes  open and check . Tthe water has evaporated  now and the rice also cooked well.

Switch off the flame and cover for 5 minutes more. After 5 minutes open and your Mathi Choru or Sardine rice is perfectly done.  

                                      

                                      

Ingredients

For Marination

Sardine or Mathi : 20

Red chilli powder : 1 ½ tsp

Turmeric powder : 1 tsp

Salt

For Rice

Basmathi rice : 1 1/2 cup(soaked for half an hour)

Coconut Oil : 2 ½ tbsp

Fennel seeds : 1 tsp

Red chilli powder : 1 ½  tsp

Turmeric powder : ½  tsp

Coriander poder 1 tsp

Pepper powder : ½  tsp

Garam masala ½ tsp

Onion : 1 ½

Tomato :  1

Dry Red chilli : 2

Curry leaves

Crushed Ginger Garlic : 1 tbsp

Lemon juice : 1/4^th lemon

Water : 3 cup

Salt

 Now serve hot with Pappadam and Raita on the side and Enjoy !