Curd Rice (Yogurt Rice)
from http://www.thespicehouse.com

Curd rice also known as Thayir Sadam in Tamil tongue is a recipe that not only resonates well in the South Indian states but now has many takers pan India.

As the name states, in its most simplest form it features curd and rice as its two chief ingredients, and then it is left to the choice of recipe maker who can experiment with the dish and add several ingredients to it in form of tempering. Popularity of this dish is such that it is usually the dish that is served at the finale of the grand South Indian meal, the intent being that curd would act as a coolant and aid in digestion process.

The century old South Indian tradition governs the order of consumption of dishes in a South Indian meal, which usually starts with sambhar rice followed by rasam rice and culminates with curd rice. This specific order has a great scientific basis wherein curd rice is placed as the last dish of the meal due to its probiotic nature, coolant properties and it aiding in the overall digestion process.

Curd Rice is truly comfort food! Of South Indian origin, it tastes great with just a pickle or chutney and also with a daal (lentils) or meat dish.

1 cup rice
1 cup yogurt (Indian or non-fat plain)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 fresh green Indian chili, or jalapeno
1/2 inch cube fresh peeled ginger to taste
vegetable oil
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon urad dal (type of lentil), black or white (split black beluga lentil, white has skin removed)
8-10 fresh, or dried, curry leaves
2 dried red chile peppers
for garnish, fresh cilantro, chopped

Rinse rice and keep covered in 2 inches of water for 30 minutes.

Put 1 cup of plain yogurt in a bowl, add 3/4 teaspoon salt, and whisk until smooth and creamy.

Bring 12 cups water to boil, add rice and bring to boil again. Boil vigorously for 12 minutes. Drain and put this in a big bowl. Add yogurt while the rice is still hot and mix gently.

While the rice is boiling, mince up little green chili (discard the seeds) and mince up the cube of ginger.

Heat the oil in a pan. Throw in the black mustard seeds. When seeds begin to "pop," add the teaspoon of urad dal. When the dal turns reddish, add the curry leaves and 2 dried red chiles. When the red chiles turn dark, lift pan and pour all over the bowl of cooked rice-yogurt mixture. Sprinkle the fresh chopped cilantro (optional), minced green chili, and ginger over all and gently mix. Serve at room temperature and add salt to personal preference. Serve with a pickle or chutney.

Chill the leftovers, which are splendid.

Notes: The urad dal and curry leaves are subtle but splendid flavors. I [the author of the recipe] have left out the cilantro with no major upset, but leaving out the others seems like it would make for a marked imbalance in the final flavor.