Curd Rice (yogurt rice) as its famously know in the south of India. I learnt this very humble and simple dish while we used to live in the Silicon Valley of India. A south Indian`s meal is never complete without a serving of this dish. They will always end their meal either with natural yogurt and a bit of white rice or this curd rice.
The base of this recipe is always leftover white rice. You can make it with fresh rice too but its one of the best ways to use the leftover rice and give it a new avatar. Its a great dish for summers too as its cooling and you can take it for work or school and it doest need a lot of time to prepare. Sometimes I also add some soaked raw peanuts for some extra protein.
Here is what yo will need (for 2 people)
- two cups of leftover rice
- two cups of natural yogurt
- a glog of milk
- 1/2 salt or to taste
- pinch of red chili powder
- 1/4 tsp of mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds
- few leaves of fresh or dried curry leaves
- half a dozen cherry tomatoes halved or two normal tomatoes chopped optional
- 1 tsp of Ghee
- fresh coriander to garnish.
Method:
1. Take the rice in a bowl, add the yogurt and half of the salt to it, mix it all well and let it soak while you prepare the seasoning.
2. Take a small pan, add the ghee to it. When the ghee starts to smoke, reduce the heat and add the cumin and the mustard to it. Let it crackle.
3. Now add the curry leaves and the tomatoes. Add the remaining salt and the chili powder to it, mix it all well and cook for a minute. Close the heat.
4. Pour the seasoning over the rice, mix it all well. Sprinkle it with fresh herbs. Top it with the soaked nuts if you are giving for a lunch box. Serve cold.
Tip: See how does your rice look after you have soaked it into the yogurt, if the rice has absorbed all the liquid and it looks a bit dry then add the glog of milk/water to it.
