Yogurt Rice

By Chef Priya Menon

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked rice
• 2 medium-sized onions, finely diced
• 1 green chilli, finely diced
• 2 tbsp ginger, finely diced/chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaf, finely sliced
• 1 1/2 cup sour yogurt (Use more if a creamy consistency is desired)
• oil/salt as required
Spices for tempering
• 1/2 level tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 level tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida (perumghayam,) optional
• 1 dried chilli, broken into very small pieces

Method

On low flame, heat pan and add about 2-3 tbsp oil. To the hot oil, add mustard and cumin seeds.
When the mustard seeds have stopped spluttering, add the onions, dried chillies, curry leaves, ginger, asafoetida and about one level tsp of salt.
Stir the mixture till the onions turn translucent and add the yogurt to the mix and turn off the flame. Stir the yogurt to infuse it with the spice mixture and slowly add the rice to the yogurt and spice mixture.
Coat the rice well with the yogurt and spice mixture. If you like it creamy, then add more yogurt.
Note: The yogurt has to be sour. I usually garnish it with lime or lemon zest. I sometimes mix the zest into the rice for the citrusy flavour to complement the yogurt. Diced green mangoes can also be added to this dish as a garnish. There are many variations to this dish, but this is fool proof.