2. CURD RICE

INGREDIENTS

1. Boiled rice cold - 2 cups (One may use left-over rice)
2. Curd- 1.5 cups well-beaten 
3. Milk-1/4 cup (optional)
4. Salt - 1 tsp (as per taste)
5. Oil - 1 tsp
6. Dry Red Chillies - 2 (optional)
7. Chana Daal 1tbs washed and drained
8. Black Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
9. Curry patta leaves - 10-12 washed and chopped
10. Green Chillies - 2 cut into small pieces
11. Ginger (Adrak) - 1 tsp cut into small pieces 
12. Asafoetida (Heeng) - a pinch

METHOD

1. In a bowl, mix curd, boiled rice and salt. Add milk to ensure the desired consistency.
2. For the seasoning, heat 1 tsp of oil in a fry pan. Add dry red chillies and fry them till they become dark in colour. Take them out and keep aside.
3. In the remaining oil, put washed and drained daal and stir till it becomes golden. Add mustard seeds till they splutter. Add chopped ginger, green chillies  &  curry patta leaves and stir them. Add a pinch of heeng and quickly pour the seasoning over the rice. Mix well. 
4. Decorate with the already fried red chillies. 

HELPFUL TIPS

1. You may add finely chopped cucumber also to make it taste different and healthier.
2. Add1 tbsp of raw grated mango to make it sour in case curd is not sour enough. 
3. Keep good quantity of boiled rice in the fridge for a quick-fix meal. It is handy to make curd rice/lemon rice/tamarind rice/coconut rice, Chinese fried rice.
4. Always keep a few packs of curd, preferably low-fat /pro-biotic curd, in the fridge.
5. It is advisable to have a curry patta plant in a pot in your garden/ balcony. Next best alternative is to keep a few leaves in your fridge. It can easily last up to 10-15 days if kept in a Ziplock. Last option is to keep curry patta in the freezer. Wash and freeze in a Ziplock. And if nothing else works, wash and dry curry patta leaves and store them in a jar.

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