Curd Rice

 How often do you have the kids groaning about eating? 'I am tooo tired to eat', ' cant eat, braces hurting', ' not feeling like any dinner', 'canker sores , cant eat' Innumerable excuses and problems. One answer 'Curd Rice' , its nutritious, light, easy to cook and digest. Since the rice is squishy and soft , its over in a few gulps. This was also a staple in our packed lunches for picnics.Mum's simple recipe was to temper the semi liquid milky rice preparation and by afternoon the curd would have set the rice well. That way it would not get sour and would not be too dry.

The classic curd rice , Thair Sadam ( tamil) , Dahi Bhaat ( Marathi) Taakka Sheeth ( Konkani)
This works out best with rice that has been overcooked. So lets begin with the cooked rice

2 cups of overcooked rice( if using leftover rice, just add 1/4 cup water and cover and cook for 5 mins)
1 1/2 cups yoghurt
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp grated ginger
2 dried red chillies broken
a pinch of mustard seeds, asafoetida,
5-6 curry leaves
salt to taste
1/2 cup milk ( optional)

cool the rice. Mix in the yoghurt, milk, salt .Heat oil , when hot , add mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and red chillies. Add to the rice and mix well. You can add finely chopped cucumber and chill in in the summers.
In winter add the curd-rice mixture to the hot oil tempering and stir gently on a very slow flame ( This variation is courtesy Kala).
The konkani's like to make the yoghurt-milk ratio 50:50 which is my favourite.
Enjoyed best with Pappad ( roasted or fried udad dal pappads, or roasted red chilli pappads, smeared with a little coconut oil) , stuffed green chillies , lemon pickle.

Tomato Saar - Tomato soup with a desi flavour

In many sarawsat homes an aperitif is also used as a accompaniment to rice. A kokum kadi , is drunk as an apertif , as a digestive or with steamed rice. Similarly the tomato saar serves as soup or as an accompaniment to steamed rice or curd ( yoghurt) rice. The tomatoes are usually left in their mashed form if used with rice. I preferred to strain them in this recipe.

4 firm ripe tomatoes, quartered , de seeded and cooked.
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, a generous pinch of asafoetida, curry leaves, 1 tsp of sugar , chopped corriander ( cilantro). salt to taste.
Cool the cooked tomato, puree, strain. Add 2 cups water.
In a saucepan , heat oil. Add cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and red chilli powder.
Add the tomato liquid and boil for 5 minutes. Serve as a soup or with steamed rice.
As a soup can be served with a spoonful of coconut milk , or yoghurt, buttermilk
Or plain , garnished with cilantro ( corriander)
Or as a tangy companion to curd rice ( yoghurt).

Daal Dhokli

A huge favourite with all generations. Usually a Sunday dinner dish. We all sat down on the floor for daal dhokli. It would be served in round shining stainless steel thaalis, propped up with a spoon, so that the daal dhokli would collect at one end. Then a huge dollop of ghee would be dropped into the daal puddle, a twist of lime and we would be on our way to gastronomic heaven. Ummmmm.

A Quick n easy Gujarati dish. A one dish meal that can be served with steamed rice and a kachumber.

FOR THE DAAL: 1 cup toor dal ,2 tbsp oil , 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp haldi,1 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp dhania jeera powder, 2 tsp salt, 4 pcs kokum, 1 tsp ajwain, 6 cloves, 6-8 curry leaves, a biggish lump of jaggery, 4 small round chillies ( any other non spicy variety will do as well). Pick and wash the daal. Soak it for 30 mins. Cook and mash the dal well.Its a great idea to whip the daal while it is still hot .

FOR THE DHOKLIS: Mix 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp haldi, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ajwain seeds, 1 tsp dhania jeera powder and 2 tbsp oil. Using a little water at a time , knead the mixture into a soft and pliable dough.

Add 3 cups of water to the mashed/ whipped daal. Add salt, red chilli powder, haldi, dhania jeera powder and churn well. In a heavy bottommed pan heat 2 tbsp oil. Add ajwain, cloves, red chillies and curry leaves. Pour the daal carefully into the pan. Add kokum and jaggery. Check the salt. The daal will be extremely watery at this point.
Divide the spiced dough into 2-3 large parts.roll them into balls, coat well with dry flour. Dust the rolling board with dry flour place the ball and roll it out like a roti. It will be slightly thicker than the normal roti.Using a pizza cutter or even a knife, cut the dough into strips and then diagonally to form diamond shapes. Carefully lower these diamonds ( dhoklis) into the boiling daal. Continue till all the dough had been rolled out, cut and dunked into the daal.
Boil the daal , stirring gently ebery now and then till the dhoklis start floating. Check for the salt and adjust according to taste. The taste has to be sweet and tangy.
Serve with a dollop of ghee ( The ghee in the picture has melted away into the daal).This is a meal in itself , however one can serve rice once the dhoklis have been eatn up. A kachumber made with diced onions, tomatoes and cucumbers can be served along.

Bon Appetite.