MILLET CURD RICE

Curd rice completes a meal, at least for South Indians. This humble dish is a comfort food that we all love with or without any accompaniment. Thayir Sadam, as we call in Tamil is a delicacy and loved by all . We usually make curd rice with rice and sometimes with vermicille (bagala bath) and present it in different ways ~ we temper it with cumin and mustard, add fruits, veggies or consume as it is. 

Here, I've used millets to prepare the curd rice. Millets have a lot of health benefits and it's suitable for all age groups. I've already shared a millet recipe - one pot sambhar rice. Here's another simple and tasty one from my kitchen. At home, mom prepares curd rice by mashing the rice well and adds more milk than curd so it's never sour even if we have it late. It also gives it a rich and creamy taste. I've incorporated the same method here just that I've added milk while cooking the rice itself instead of adding it to cooked rice. 

This is made with Barnyard millet but you're free to choose the millet variety of your choice. If you're using rice instead of millet then cook it in a pressure cooker with water in 3:1 ratio i.e 3 cups water for 1 cup rice because we're looking for a mushy consistency. Once the rice is cooked, mash it further adding milk and temper!  

INGREDIENTS

Barnyard millet - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Thick curd/yoghurt - 1/4 cup

Water (to cook millet) - 1 + 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

For Temering

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Dry Red chili - 2 

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp 

Curry leaves - 6

Coriander - chopped finely for garnish

METHOD

Wash the millet in water for about 5-6 times. This recipe uses Barnyard Millet, feel free to use any variety of your choice. Add the millet, water and required salt in a vessel or boiling pot and keep it on high until it boils. After the first roaring boil, slow down the heat, add the milk and keep mashing until all the liquid is absorbed by the millet. This will take about 7 minutes. Switch off the heat, mash the millet further with a wooden ladle. Check for salt and add the yoghurt. Give it a good mix. 

In a small pan, heat oil, add mustard, cumin, urad dhal, dry chili and once the mustard splutters and the urad dhal has become light brown add the asafoetida and curry leaves. A quick stir and add to the curd rice. Transfer it to the serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander. 

Note:

You can add grated carrots, pomegranate or chopped ginger if you prefer. It enhances the taste. 

CHETTINAD EGG ROAST

Egg Roast is a typical Kerala dish and quite popular too. It's usually a thick gravy with hard boiled eggs served with Appam or Idiyappam. Unlike the typical Kerala egg roast, this egg roast recipe of mine is a dry dish prepared using spices specific to chettinadu ( a place in Southern part of India). Chettinad is known for it's spicy and aromatic cooking. This recipe though not an authentic one, tries to bring the chettinad flavours. It's pretty simple to prepare and goes well with any rice preparation or simply enjoy it as a starter.

INGREDIENTS

Hard Boiled eggs - 3

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Black pepper powder - 1 tsp

Roasted cumin/jeera powder - 1/2 tsp

Roasted Saunf/Sombu/Fennel seed powder - 1.5 tsp

Coriander seed/ dhania powder - 1/2 tbsp

Salt 

Oil

Coriander leaves chopped for garnish

METHOD

Slice the hard-boiled eggs into 2 halves. Mix all the spice powders, ginger garlic paste along with little salt, to a thick paste consistency adding little water. Spread the thick paste on the yellow part of the eggs and let it sit for 10 mins. Heat a non stick pan, add a tsp of oil and roast the eggs (masala side down) in low flame, now flip it (masala side up)and roast. Keep flipping and roasting both sides until its done. Serve it garnished with chopped coriander leaves. 

MUTTAI PORIYAL/EGG SCRAMBLE

Egg scramble is not a new preparation to most of us but each of us do it in a different way. At home, I prepare it differently when it accompanies rice, a little different from this method for chappati and with a little twist and flavour for bread. This preparation tastes good with rice. Will soon be updating the other methods.

INGREDIENTS

Eggs - 2

Onion 2 - finely chopped

Green chili - 1 cut into 2 halves 

Turmeric pwd - a pinch

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves - chopped for garnish

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt

METHOD

Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of oil , once hot add the onion and green chilly. Sauté for 2-3 mins and add the ginger garlic paste. Once the raw flavour of the paste goes and the onions have turned light brown, break the two eggs, add salt, turmeric and scramble on high flame for 2 mins and for 4-5 mins on medium flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.