Recipe: Mayur's Metkut Rice

It is late at night, and you've just reached home, tired and hungry.

All restaurants around your home are shut, and your stomach can't stop growling.

You open the fridge. It looks empty. There's nothing there except some leftover kal ka rice.

Worried? Don't be! Because you can always make Mayur Sanap's metkut, a home-style spice blend consisting of chana dal, urad dal, rice, mung dal, along with turmeric, red chillies, coriander seeds and saunth or dry ginger, and enjoy it with warm rice, served with a generous dollop of ghee. 

Lentils/pulses are of great importance in a traditional Maharashtrian kitchen. They are also a great source of protein and fibre in a vegetarian diet.

While there are variety of recipes highlighting the goodness of these grains, Metkut Bhaat spells comfort and has a special place in the hearts of millions of Maharashtrians.

Hailed as time-tested kitchen hack, it's a great hassle-free option for a hearty meal that is easy on the stomach and super-delicious.

No matter what part of the world you travel to, rice is easily available everywhere. Every Maharashtrian mother knows this, and that's why metkut is an essential food item to pack for journeys away from home.

The good thing is that metkut can be stored for months without it rotting.

Metkut Bhaat

Makes around: 350 gm

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

For the metkut powder

• ½ cup chana dal or split Bengal gram
• ¼ cup urad dal or white gram
• ¼ cup spilt mung dal
• ¼ cup rice
• 1 tbsp dhania or coriander seeds
• 1 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
• 1-2 red chillies
• 1 tsp haldi or turmeric powder
• 1 tsp saunth or dried ginger powder
• Salt to taste

For serving

• 1 serving of cooked/steamed rice
• 1 tbsp or less ghee

Method

• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or tava, dry roast the chana dal, urad dal, moong dal, rice individually until fragrant.
  Let cool completely.
• Lightly dry roast the red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds.
• Transfer the roasted mixture into a blender.
  Add the turmeric powder, salt, saunth and grind to fine powder.
  Transfer the mixture in an air-tight container.
• To make the Metkut Bhaat, take a bowl of warm rice and add 2 tbsp of the ground powder and 1 tbsp of ghee. Mix well and enjoy.

Editor's Note: To make the milder version of metkut, use Kashmiri red chillies.

Instead of rice, one can serve metkut with idlis or dosas.

If lactose intolerant or vegan, add coconut oil as an alternative to ghee.

Those on a diabetic diet could sprinkle metkut on cooked millets or quinoa.

• REDIFF RECIPES