YOGURT AND RICE SALAD

A very soothing dish, uses any leftover rice, has a spicy hot kick to it and just when you are looking for something to quell that heat, comes the sweet grape and does it's job well.

This dish is the stylized version of a staple from the southern parts of India. No South Indian meal is ever complete without the simple version of this dish where cooked rice and buttermilk are mixed together in the last course of the meal. This version cools down the heat in the stomach after a spicy meal.
My version of this dish can be served as a salad, a starter, the final course in a meal or even as a snack or breakfast.
Yogurt is very good for the digestion and cools down a heated-up stomach. The lactobacillus is the key bacteria used to ferment milk. Though a bacteria named S.s thermophilus is also necessary in fermenting milk to yogurt, it generally gets destroyed during pasteurization. It is added in commercially sold yogurt. These bacteria are good for the general health of the stomach.

Making yogurt at home
Yogurt is very easy to make at home and by introduction of a little culture, to boiled and cooled milk to  temperatures of about 40 to 45 degree Centigrade, you can get a good, tasty and fresh yogurt right in your own kitchen.
Boiling of milk is very essential in the making of yogurt. It helps kill unwanted bacteria and also denatures the milk proteins thus giving the right jelly-like consistency of yogurt and preventing the milk from turning to curds. I have found that when milk is not boiled and set, the resulting yogurt turns slimy and the quality of the culture deteriorates thereafter.

Where to get the yogurt culture or starter?
I buy from the grocery store, yogurt which uses bacterial culture, to start my yogurt at home.

Once the yogurt is set, I set aside 1 Tbsp. of the yogurt, to be used later as the culture for the next yogurt.
In case I don't need to use it immediately, I just freeze the culture and use it within 20 days, after thawing it in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:
for the making of yogurt at home:
.Milk.....................500 ml.
.Yogurt culture.....1 tsp.

Method:
.Boil milk and set aside to cool to 40 to 45 degrees C.
.Add the yogurt culture and mix well.
.Put the mixture in a bowl.
.Cover and keep in a well-insulated place for 5 to 7 hours.
.It may take a little longer to set in cold places.
.In cold places, keep the milk and yogurt culture mix in a well-insulated area like an oven.
.In very cold places, warm the oven to 45 degrees centigrade and switch it off before putting in the
 bowl of milk and culture.
.The milk will ferment and set into yogurt.

back to Colocasia in pearl white gravy



yogurt and rice salad(with pickled carrots and raw mango)

 YOGURT AND RICE SALAD
serves 4
takes 10 minutes

Ingredients:
for the salad:
.Rice............................................cooked 1 cup
.Yogurt(chilled)..........................1/2 cup
.Milk(chilled)..............................1/4th cup
.Salt..............................................to taste
.Grapes(red, black or green)........1/4th cup, cut into fours
.Carrot..........................................1/4th cup grated                
.Ginger..........................................1 tsp. grated                                      
.Green chili....................................2 tsp, finely chopped
.Raw mango..................................1/4th cup , grated
.Chickpea split(chanadal).............1 Tbsp.
.Asafoetida powder.......................1 pinch
.Mustard seeds..............................1/2 tsp.
.Curry leaves.................................4 to5 leaves
.Dry red chili..................................1 cut into 4 pcs.
.Oil.................................................1 tsp.
.Black grapes..................................8 for garnish
                                                      
For the pickle(optional)
.Raw mango....................1/8th cup, thinly shaved
.Carrot............................1/8th cup, thinly shaved
.Mustard seeds...............1/8th tsp.
.Red chili powder...........1 pinch
.Turmeric powder...........1/2 pinch
.Salt................................to taste
.Asafoetida powder........1/2 pinch
.Oil.................................1 tsp.

Method:
for the salad:
.Mix together cooked rice, yogurt, milk, salt to taste, grapes, carrot and raw mango.
.Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter add asafoetida powder
 curry leaves, dry red chili pcs.,split chickpeas, ginger and green chilies.
.When the split chickpeas turn a golden brown add the mixture to the rice mixture.
.Mix well and serve with the pickled mango and carrot and fried rice crackers.

for the pickle:
.Cut the raw mango and carrot into thin slices or shavings.
.Mix the salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder.
.Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
.When they splutter add the asafoetida powder.
.Add this to the cut mango and carrot mixture.
.Garnish the salad with this pickle.


yogurt and rice salad


note:
.This dish is best made with cold leftover rice.
.Rice cooked with salt to taste is preferred as the salt is then well mixed.
.I prefer to use Thai Jasmine rice for this dish, though any other flavourful rice can be used.
.If split chickpeas are not available you can add skinned peanuts toasted and pounded into 4 to 6
 pieces each and then added to the salad.
.Finely chopped cucumber and coriander leaves make this dish more refreshing.
.Or add finely chopped red or green apple for crunchiness.