← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 200 g short-grain or sona masoori rice
• 700 ml Water
• 400 g plain yogurt, whisked
• 100 ml Milk
• ¾ tsp salt, or to taste
• 2 cm piece Ginger, finely grated
• 1 Green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 Carrot, grated (optional)
• ½ Cucumber, finely diced (optional)
• 2 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), chopped
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Urad dal (split, skinned)
• 1 tsp Chana dal (split Bengal gram) (optional)
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 1 dried red chilli, broken
• 1 pinch Asafoetida (hing) (optional)

Method

1. Rinse the rice and cook it in the water for 15–18 min, until very soft and a little overcooked. Mash it lightly while hot, then spread it out so it cools quickly until just warm.
2. Stir in the yogurt, milk and salt until creamy, then mix in the ginger, chilli, carrot, cucumber and coriander.
3. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds; when they pop, add the urad and chana dal and fry until golden, then the curry leaves, dried chilli and asafoetida for a few seconds.
4. Pour the tempering over the rice and stir it through. Serve at room temperature or chilled, with a spoonful of pickle on the side.

Tips

• Mix in the yogurt when the rice is lukewarm, not hot, or it can turn sour and grainy. The rice keeps absorbing liquid, so loosen it with a splash of milk before serving.
• Cool cooked rice quickly and refrigerate leftovers within an hour. Most asafoetida contains wheat, so skip it for a gluten-free bowl.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Hebbar's Kitchen Cook With Manali Ministry of Curry