Pakhala

Rice washed or lightly fermented in water, and the liquid is the dish as much as the rice.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (curd).

Ingredients

• 400 g rice, cooked
• 1.5 litres water
• 300 g curd
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted and crushed
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 20 g mint leaves, torn
• 3 green chillies, chopped
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 15 curry leaves
• 2 tablespoons mustard oil

Method

1. RICE WASHED OR LIGHTLY FERMENTED IN WATER, AND THE LIQUID IS THE DISH AS MUCH AS THE RICE. Its article gives the definition and then names the liquid, which is the tell that it matters: cooked rice WASHED OR LIGHTLY FERMENTED IN WATER, and THE LIQUID PART OF THE DISH IS KNOWN AS TORANI. A dish whose water has its own name is a dish you drink as well as eat. Washed is the quick version and lightly fermented is the other, and the two taste quite different -- one cool and starchy, the other sour.
2. ITS OWN INGREDIENT LIST HAS CURD IN IT. Rice, CURD, cucumber, cumin seeds, fried onions and mint leaves. That is what separates it from Panta Bhat, as on its own page, which is the same water-rice soaked overnight and eaten with mashed potato instead.
3. THE RICE IS COOKED, THEN COOLED, THEN WATERED. Plenty of water -- a litre and a half to four hundred grams. It should be soupy.
4. FOR THE FERMENTED VERSION IT STANDS OVERNIGHT, COVERED, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. Six to eight hours is enough in warm weather. It smells faintly sour and that is correct; anything sharp or fizzy has gone too far.
5. THE CUMIN IS DRY-ROASTED AND CRUSHED, NOT USED WHOLE. It is the dominant flavour in something otherwise very plain.
6. THE TEMPERING IS OPTIONAL AND GOES IN COLD. Mustard seeds and curry leaves popped in mustard oil, cooled, then stirred in. Hot tempering into watered rice is wasted.
7. IT IS SERVED COLD, AND ITS ARTICLE SAYS WHEN. Generally eaten in the summer, especially for lunch, where it is viewed as refreshing.
8. THE SIDE DISHES ARE DRY ON PURPOSE. Its article names dry roasted vegetables -- potato, brinjal, badi and fried greens -- or fried fish. Something dry and salty against something cold and wet.
9. THE WATER IS DRUNK AT THE END, NOT POURED AWAY. That is what the name Torani is for.

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