Curd rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked medium-grain rice, such as sona masuri (cooled to room temperature but not refrigerated)
• 1 cup milk
• 500 ml yoghurt
• Salt

Tadka

• 2 tbsp gingelly oil (untoasted sesame oil)
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp urad dal
• 3 dried red chillies
• 6 curry leaves, roughly chopped
• ⅛ tsp asafoetida (hing) powder

To serve

• 1 tbsp pomegranate arils
• 3 green grapes, halved
• 2 tbsp finely chopped cucumber
• 1 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 tsp finely chopped green chilli
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander

Cooling time (for rice preparation): 20 minutes

Instructions

1. Lightly mash some of the rice with the milk and stir well, then mix the yoghurt into the rice. Season with salt and taste. The rice should be slightly salty but have a creamy texture.
2. To make the tadka, heat the gingelly oil in a small saucepan and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the urad dal and chillies and heat until the dal starts turns golden brown. Add the curry leaves and asafoetida and mix well to combine. Pour over the curd rice and mix the tadka through the rice.
3. Fold through the remaining toppings to serve (reserving a few grapes and pomegranate arils to sprinkle over the top), then serve.

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