Ney Choru with Kaima Rice

Ney Choru translates to ghee rice & is one of the classic dishes from Kerala cuisine. It is very popular and is mostly served with chicken curry, mutton curry, kadala curry and even with egg roast. It is the Jeerakasala rice, a small grain fragrant rice that makes Malabar ney choru special – aromatic and delicious.

For the uninitiated, Ney choru is a traditional one-pot Kerala rice dish where jeerakasala rice is cooked with a generous amount of ghee and whole spices like star anise, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. It is garnished with ghee fried cashew nuts, raisins and golden fried onions (biryani onions).

About Nei Choru

The dish turns out super aromatic, rich and anyone who tastes this will instantly fall in love with it. Though ingredients like whole spices and ghee contribute to the flavors, it is the Jeerakasala rice which plays the key role in taking it to the next level.

This kind of rice is more popular locally in the Malabar region, where ghee rice and biryani are made using this rice. This short grain rice has a unique aroma and is a quick cook rice that gets cooked in a short time. If you do not have Jeerakasala rice, you can also make this using any other premium rice variety.

Many years ago during our trips to Kerala we were introduced to this rice and we instantly looked out for it when we were back in Singapore. I could find it easily in Indian grocery stores and have been using it for a few years now. I use the same rice to make our Malabar biryani.

This recipe is not forgiving so I wouldn’t suggest making any changes like cutting down the amount of spices or ghee. If you don’t have this kind of rice, you may check out this South Indian restaurant style Ghee rice recipe that uses basmati rice.

You may like to check out these side dishes to serve with Ney choru
Kerala Chicken Curry
Kadala Curry
Egg Roast
Mutton Curry
Goat Curry (Chettinad style)

Photo Guide

How to make Ney Choru (Stepwise Photos)

1. Bring 2 ½ cups water to a boil in a pot. On another stove/burner, heat 3 to 4 tablespoons ghee in a pot or cooker. Fry ¼ to ½ cup split cashews until slightly golden.

2. Add ¼ cup raisins and saute until they turn plump. Remove the fried cashews and raisins to a plate and set aside.

3. Add ½ cup sliced onions and fry until golden, stirring often to light brown them evenly. Do not over fry else they burn and taste bitter. Remove them to the plate and keep aside. Pour back as much ghee as possible to the pot or pan (from the onions).

4. To the same pan, add 1 star anise, ½ teaspoon saunf (fennel seeds), 1 bay leaf, 2 inch cinnamon, 3 to 4 cardamom and 3 to 4 cloves.

5. Add ¼ cup sliced onions and saute until golden.

6. Add ¾ teaspoon ginger garlic paste and saute just for 1 minute, until aromatic but not burnt.

Cook rice

7. Add 1 ½  cups rinsed and drained kaima rice. This rice doesn’t need any soaking.

8. Saute for about 2 mins stirring evenly. Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt.

9. Pour boiling water.

10. Stir and taste test. The water should taste slightly salty. If needed add more. Regulate the flame to medium.

11. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed. I used pressure cooker lid to cover. It doesn’t whistle since the water will be absorbed very soon. It takes about 5 to 8 mins for the rice to be done depending on the kind of pot/ pan used.

13. Open the lid and fluff up the rice and check if the rice is done. If the rice is still under cooked sprinkle little warm water and mix. Switch off the stove. Cover again and rest for 5 mins.

14. Garnish nei choru with cashews and raisins. Serve nei choru with chicken curry, mutton curry, kadala curry or any vegetable gravy.

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