Goan varan bhaat recipe – a simple dal recipe made from arhar dal and flavored with fresh coconut. This is no onion no garlic recipes. So it is very simple, healthy and satvik food.
There are no spice powders are added except the turmeric powder. Hence it has mild flavors. All the flavors are coming from coconut and curry leaves.
Addition of ghee aka clarified butter also plays a major role to make it flavorful. I would not recommend substituting the ghee with oil. You can use oil if you are vegan. Many likes to drizzle little bit of ghee on top at the time of serving.
There is another version of making varan bhaat (Maharashtrian style). There is no coconut added in that. But this recipe has subtle flavor of coconut. If you translate it in English then Varan=lentil stew and bhaat=cooked rice.
It is part of Naivedya or bhog (food offered to god as part of worship) on Ganesh Chaturthi. Other dishes include poori bhaji, modak, sheera, rice poori, rishi panchami bhaji, boondi ladoo.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor mentioned in one of his articles that Goan wedding meal never completes without Varan bhaat.
Check out other dal recipes
Gujarati dal // Punjabi arhar dal // Andhra pappu // Home style dal fry
How to make Varan bhaat recipe (Step by Step Photos):
1) You can check out this step by step recipe to cook the rice. Or you can follow your own method.
2) Wash the toor dal under running cold water till water runs clear. Add washed dal to the pressure cooker along with 1 ½ cups of water. Close the lid and turn the heat on medium. And let it whistle 7-8 times on medium heat.
3) While dal is cooking make the paste from coconut and turmeric powder.
4) Let the pressure go down by itself. Then open the cover.
5) Add another 1 cup of water to cooked dal. Make smooth puree like consistency by using immersion blender or grinder.
6) Now heat the ghee in small pan. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add cumin seeds, let them sizzle.
7) Then add slit green chilies and curry leaves. Sauté for 30 seconds.
8) Add coconut paste and salt. And sauté for 2-3 minutes.
9) Add this tempering to the dal.
10) Mix well and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add more water if needed to adjust the consistency.
11) varan is ready to serve.
Serving suggestion: as the name says, serve the warm varan with cooked rice aka bhaat. Drizzle some ghee on top if you like. It adds extra flavors to the dish. During the ganesh chaturthi festival, it is offered to the lord ganesh as a prasam (bhog or naivedya).
Goan varan bhaat recipe (Varan recipe with coconut)
Ingredients
For pressure cooking:
- ½ cup Arhar dal (toor dal or split pigeon peas)
- 1 ½ + 1 cups Water
For paste:
- ⅓ cup Coconut fresh or frozen
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
Tempering for varan bhaat recipe:
- 1 tablespoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 2 small Green chilies slit
- 5-6 Curry leaves
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the rice as per your method. and while rice is cooking make the varan
Pressure cooking the dal:
- Wash the toor dal under running cold water till water runs clear.
- Add washed dal to the pressure cooker along with 1 ½ cups of water.
- Close the lid and turn the heat on medium. And let it whistle 7-8 times on medium heat.
- Let the pressure go down by itself. Then open the cover.
Making paste:
- take coconut and turmeric powder in a grinder jar. Add little water.
- Make smooth paste. Keep it aside.
Making goan varan bhaat:
- Add another 1 cup of water to cooked dal.
- Make smooth puree like consistency by using immersion blender or grinder.
- Now heat the ghee in small pan. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them pop.
- Then add cumin seeds, let them sizzle.
- Then add slit green chilies and curry leaves. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add coconut paste and salt. And sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add this tempering to the dal.
- Mix well and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add more water if needed to adjust the consistency.
- varan is ready to serve.
- Serve the varan with plain cooked rice.
- Drizzle some ghee on top if you like.
Vasant
Hi Kanan,
I am from Goa. I have not cooked much of Goan food. But the simplicity with which you have written about recipes and posted with photos , I feel that your are the right person for me to learn in making these dishes for my cafe here in Goa.
thanks a lot
Vasant
Kanan
Thank you Vasant. Happy to know that recipe is helpful to you