Curd rice

This is one of our favorite cool-off recipe. When we do feel like our tummies need rest from spices or onion / garlic, when our brain does not seem to think of any more experiments with cooking, we turn to this one. It’s easy and ready in minutes.

This one also turns out fine if you have left over rice that’s a little soft. Almost always I like to make rice ahead of time (run the pressure cooker along side making breakfast) and then minutes before eating, make it into  yogurt / curd rice.

If you cook Indian dishes, chances are that you will have most of these ingredients already in your pantry.

Curd rice - rice with yogurt

2015-03-17 22:35:19

Soft, almost mushy rice dish with yogurt and a little bit of tempering (tadka). Perfect cooling off food for summers.

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For rice

1. 6 to 8 cups of cooked rice
2. About 3 cups of plain yogurt
3. Water
4. Salt
5. Black pepper
6. Cilantro - finely chopped

For tempering

1. Mustard seeds
2. 2 tsp oil
3. Asafetida - 1-2 pinch
4. Dry red chilies or chili flakes
5. Curry leaves (Optional, but I always add them as we love their aroma.)
6. Dhuli urad dal (polished split black beans, available in any Indian grocery store.) Optional.
7. Some nuts (peanuts / cashew etc). Optional, but they do add some nice crunch to this otherwise soft and gooey dish.

Garnishing

1. I usually skip this part and add the garnishing ingredients to side salad. But I've seen this dish garnished with raisins or grapes or cherry tomatoes or even finely chopped onion.

Instructions

1. Mix water and yogurt well (you can use a blender) to make a thin liquid. It should reach the consistency of milk.
2. Lightly mash rice, add above yogurt mixture and rest of the rice ingredients.
3. If you are planning to add the garnishing stuff, add it to rice mixture at this time. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a small pan and add rest of the tempering ingredients to it. Let mustard seeds splutter a bit and let the urad daal turn golden brown. Keep stirring so the ingredients don't get burned.
5. Once the tempering is ready, add it over the rice mixture and cover to lock the flavor in.
6. Let the rice stay covered for a couple minutes and then serve immediately.

Notes

1. The proportions of ingredients in this dish are only as guidelines. Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of yogurt based on how you like it.
2. A side salad with colored peppers, cucumber, fresh cilantro, salt-pepper, and a hint of lemon goes very well with this rice.
3. A piece of tasty Indian pickle (mango / lemon / any other), also tastes great with this rice.
4. My kids like to have some chips on the side, which is another serving suggestion.

Varada Sharma http://varadasharma.com/

I hope you enjoy this really simple dish.

Let me know how you like it.

Thanks and stay blessed!
~Varada