Ellu in kannada means Til, hence the name Ellina Chitra Anna or Til Rice (also known as Sesame Rice). This rice recipe is a gentle, very mildly spiced dish generally prepared during festivals as “prasadam”

Dish Type: South Indian Variety Rice

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking time: 15 min

Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients

Rice                 250 gms

For grinding

Raw coconut   1/4 of a coconut, grated

Green chillies  8 nos.

Tamarind        Small ½ lime size ball

For making til seeds powder

Til seeds                      2 tsp (white colored)

For seasoning

Oil                               2 tbsps

Peanuts                       1 tsp

Bengal gram dal         1 tsp

Urad dal                      1 tsp

Mustard seeds            1 tsp

Red chillies                  2 nos.

Curry leaves                1 sprig

Turmeric                     A pinch

Asafoetida                   A pinch

Salt to taste                 (approx 1 tsp)

Coriander leaves         1 tbsp

Directions

Cook rice in a pressure cooker using 500 ml water.

(Note: Water quantity should be just enough so that rice is cooked soft but not overcooked. If overcooked it becomes mashy and therefore difficult to blend well with the ground mixture and seasoning)

While rice is getting cooked….

Wash curry leaves, fresh coriander leaves, grate raw coconut.

Prepare till seeds powder and the grinding mixture. For this, switch on another burner of the gas stove. Keep a kadai on it and when it is heated, dry fry til seeds to golden brown colour. Transfer the fried till seeds on to a plate. When cooled, powder it coarsely and keep aside. Use the same grinder and grind raw grated coconut, green chillies and tamarind.

Keep the same kadai on the burner to prepare seasoning. When it is hot, put oil. When oil gets heated, add peanuts, Bengal gram dhal, urad dhal, mustard seeds in that order at intervals of few seconds. When mustard seeds crackle which happens immediately, add red chillies and curry leaves.

By now the rice would have been cooked. Spread the cooked rice on to a plate. Let it cool. Now add salt, turmeric and asafoetida to the cooked and cooled rice. Mix them well gently and slowly. Now add the ground coconut-chillies-tamarind mixture. Mix again. Top it with the prepared seasoning, coarsely ground till powder and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Ellina Chitra Anna is now ready

Note: 

Rice has to be mixed very gently and slowly at all times.

Cashewnuts can be used in place of peanuts.