Curd Rice

The rice is cooled to room temperature before the curd goes in, or it ferments.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (milk), dairy (yoghurt).

Ingredients

• 300 g rice, cooked soft
• 500 g yoghurt
• 100 ml milk
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• a 3 cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
• 20 curry leaves
• 2 tablespoons urad dal
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
• 1 onion, in thick slices
• 3 tablespoons groundnut oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 carrot, grated, and 20 g coriander, to finish

Method

1. THE RICE IS COOLED TO ROOM TEMPERATURE BEFORE THE CURD GOES IN, OR IT FERMENTS. Its article gives the order precisely: the rice is steamed or pressure cooked to be SOFT, it is THEN ALLOWED TO COOL TO ROOM TEMPERATURE, after which it is seasoned -- and FINALLY curd and salt are added. Curd into warm rice sours within the hour and splits by the next day. The article even gives the trick for slowing it down: a few CHOPPED ONIONS IN BIGGER SLICES will help the curd rice from fermenting too quickly.
2. THE RICE IS COOKED SOFTER THAN USUAL, WHICH ITS ARTICLE ASKS FOR. Soft, not separate-grained. This is the one rice dish here where mushy is correct.
3. IT IS MASHED A LITTLE WITH THE SALT. Pressed with the back of a spoon until it goes creamy. Its article gives a whole alternative built on this -- MASHING COOKED PLAIN RICE, MOSTLY LEFTOVERS, with salt, curd and a little milk.
4. THE MILK IS THERE TO LESSEN THE SOURNESS AND ITS ARTICLE SAYS SO. A hundred millilitres. It also keeps the dish loose, because rice goes on drinking.
5. THE TEMPERING IS POURED OVER AT THE END, WARM. Urad dal, mustard, cumin and asafoetida in hot oil with the curry leaves. Warm tempering on cold rice is the contrast the dish is built on.
6. THE GINGER AND GREEN CHILLI GO IN RAW. Finely chopped, stirred through. Fried, they lose the bite that cuts the curd.
7. IT IS LOOSE WHEN IT IS MADE AND THICK AN HOUR LATER. Make it wetter than you want it.
8. IT IS SERVED TEPID OR CHILLED, WHICH ITS ARTICLE ALLOWS. Never hot.
9. THE GARNISHES ARE ENDLESS AND ITS ARTICLE LISTS THEM. Grated carrot, pomegranate seeds, raisins, grapes, fried cashews, grated raw mango, boondi. And in Karnataka, yoghurt chillies in the tempering.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes