Yoghurt Rice - 1
Curd Rice - 1 (Mosaranna)
Shalini Mahajan
This curd rice is from South India and it is different from Bengali ‘Doi or Dahi Bhat. It is often made from left over boiled rice.
Serves 4
Ingredients
6 cups of cooked white rice, slightly warm
2 cups of plain non-fat yoghurt (curd or dahi)
2 green chillies, chopped finely
1 tsp. red chilli powder
2 tsp. coriander/cilantro/dahnia leaves, chopped finely
1 small piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 tbsp. cooking oil
1-2 tsp. skinless chana dal (split gram), unwashed
1-2 tsp. skinless urad/urid (black gram) dal, unwashed
1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
1 tsp. rai or mustard seeds
A pinch of hing or asafoetida
1 dry red chilli, cut into 1/4" pieces
10-15 fresh curry leaves
Salt to taste
Instructions
Add the green chillies, red chilli powder, coriander leaves and ginger to the yogurt and mix well with a spoon. Do not use a blender or the yogurt will get runny.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan or wok or karahi. When it gets close to smoking hot, turn the heat down to medium-high and add the dals. Fry the dals for half a minute then add onions. Fry for another minute.
Add the mustard seeds, hing, cut dry red chilli, and curry leaves. When the seeds pop, remove from heat. Take care not to burn the seasoning.
Add the rice and salt and mix well, but gently.
Turn heat off and add the yogurt. The pan or the rice should not be too hot when the yoghurt is added or the yoghurt may curdle. Mix well and serve immediately.
It tastes good with any hot pickle or Curd Chillies.
Notes
Chana/urad dals add an interesting crunch to the rice. Do not wash the dals. They should be used dry.
I always cut the curry leaves into thin strips with a pair of scissors just before using. This gives better flavour, it looks pretty at the same time that they tend to disappear in the dish so you don't get a strong burst of flavour if a whole leaf comes into your mouth by accident.
Some people add 1/2 cup milk to the rice together with the yogurt. I don't find this necessary.
Optional: Add 1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber, 1/2 cup quartered grapes, 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds before serving. Mix well.
The rice will soak all the yogurt and it may become dry if left for more than a couple of hours. If this happens, add some more yogurt before serving.
