Curd Rice/Bagala Bath

Curd rice is a comfort food for many and that includes M,A and me. We can eat curd rice as a meal by itself with just a couple of sides like pickle,kari vadam,seenivarakai vathal,sundakkai vathal,mor milagai and so.

For people who have no clue of what those are, they are sundried veggies that are deep fried to go with curd rice. Today I have paired them with kari vadam and seenivarakai vathal. I had added loads of fruits and aromatic tempering which really needs no pairing. On a hot summer day this can be a soul saver! I do have a simple version which will appear soon. Do try and taste it.

Ingredients:

 Rice- 1 cup

Milk-1 cup

Curd-1 cup

Butter-1 tbsp

Fresh Cream/Crème fraîche -1 tbsp (optional)

Cucumber-1/4 cup

Raw Mango/Green mango-2 tbsp, finely chopped

Carrot-1/4 cup, grated

Coriander leaves-2 tbsp, chopped

Grapes-10, halved (I used both black and green seedless)

 Fresh Pomegranate seeds-1/4 cup

Salt-as needed

To Temper:

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Urad dal/Black gram dal-1 tsp

Channa dal/Bengal gram dal-1 tsp

Green chilies-2, finely chopped

Ginger-1 inch piece, finely chopped

Curry leaves-1 sprig

Asafoetida-1 big pinch

Oil-1 tsp

To Garnish:

Cashews-10, broken

Raisins-10

Heat a tsp of ghee in a small pan, add the cashews and raisins and fry until golden brown. Set aside.

How It Happened:

1. Wash and soak rice for 1 hour. Drain the water. Add 3 & ½ cups of water and 1 cup of rice in a pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles in medium flame and 1 whistle in simmer. Let it cool. The rice will be soft and mushy.

2. Take the rice in a mixing bowl, add salt and butter and mash them well so that they mix well.

3. Add in milk, cream and curd and mix well.

4. Add the carrots, mango, cucumber and coriander leaves.

5. Heat oil in a tadka pan; add mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal and asafoetida. When they pop and turn golden brown add curry leaves, ginger and green chilies and fry until they are golden and blistery.

6. Now pour in this tempering to the rice bowl.

7. Mix all the ingredients well garnish with fried cashews, raisins, grapes and pomegranate seeds and serve with pickle.

Notes:

* Cook the rice a little mushy so they blend in well with the curd.

* Cream and butter add a fine rich silkiness to the rice.

* Add in or skip any veggies. Play with veggies of your choice.

* The consistency should be loose (thalarthi) because as time goes they get thickened.

* If you want to loosen it, add some boiled milk/if you want them a little tangy/sour then add buttermilk.

* If you are going to serve immediately then mix the rice with curd when its still warm also you can add warm milk. The mild warmth sure is soothing and comforting (Something like perumal koil prasadham). If you are going to pack then let the rice cool completely then add curd, else they will turn sour quickly.

* Adding cream is purely optional. But trust me cream makes it smooth, rich and tasty. Thatz what cream does right? Use fresh cream..