Acid Curd and Rice

Ingredients

• 900 grams fine rice (1 seer is approximately 900 g. Use a good quality white rice such as basmati or sona masoori.)
• 0 as needed water (Enough water to fully boil the rice — typically about 1.8 litres for 900 g of rice.)
• 1800 grams acid curd (soured plain yoghurt) (2 seers is approximately 1.8 kg. Use full-fat plain yoghurt that has soured naturally overnight, or use a well-soured store-bought natural yoghurt. It should be noticeably tangy.)
• 12 grams dry or green ginger (1 tolah is approximately 12 g. Use either dried ground ginger or fresh green ginger root. If using fresh ginger, peel it first.)
• 12 grams salt (1 tolah is approximately 12 g, roughly 2 teaspoons. Adjust to taste.)
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (The original calls for 'some mustard'. Use black or brown mustard seeds.)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (The original calls for 'some cummin seeds'. Use whole cumin seeds.)
• 2 whole dried red chillies (The original calls for 'some red chillies'. Use whole dried red chillies; break them in half before frying if desired for more heat.)
• 10 leaves carapala leaves (curry leaves) ('Carapala leaves' is the historical name for curry leaves (Murraya koenigii). Use fresh curry leaves where possible; dried can substitute. The original calls for 'some'.)
• 0.25 teaspoon asafoetida (hing) (The original calls for 'some asafoetida'. Use a small pinch to quarter teaspoon. Available in Indian grocery stores as 'hing'. Note: the original recipe specifically says to avoid fenugreek seeds (meuti), so do not add any.)

Instructions

1. 1Measure out your rice and rinse it under cold running water until the water runs mostly clear — this removes excess starch. Place the rinsed rice in a large pot and cover with plenty of water (roughly twice the volume of rice). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle boil and cook until the grains are fully tender and soft, about 15–20 minutes. The rice should be slightly softer than you might normally cook it, as it will firm up a little when mixed with cold curd.
2. 2Once the rice is fully cooked, drain it well through a colander. Spread the drained rice out in a wide bowl or large plate and leave it exposed to the open air for 5 minutes. This step cools the rice slightly and allows any excess steam and moisture to escape, which prevents the curd from becoming too watery when the rice is mixed in.
3. 3Measure out your soured curd (yoghurt) and pour it into a large mixing bowl — it should be large enough to hold all of the rice as well. Stir the curd gently to make sure it is smooth and consistent. The curd should be noticeably sour and tangy; if your yoghurt is very mild, you can let it sit at room temperature for a few more hours to develop more acidity, but use it as-is if it is already sufficiently sour.
4. 4Add the airy, drained rice into the large bowl of soured curd. Using a large spoon or spatula, stir the rice and curd together thoroughly until fully combined. Make sure there are no dry clumps of rice and the curd coats the grains evenly. Set this mixture aside while you prepare the ginger, salt, and tempering.
5. 5If using fresh green ginger, peel the skin away with the back of a spoon or a peeler, then place the ginger on a chopping board. Use the flat side of a knife or a pestle to firmly bruise and crush the ginger — this breaks the fibres and releases its flavour. If using dried ground ginger, no bruising is needed. Combine the bruised or ground ginger with the measured salt and mix them together. Stir this ginger-salt mixture into the rice and curd bowl, combining everything thoroughly.
6. 6Heat a small frying pan or tadka pan over medium-high heat — no oil quantity is specified in the original recipe, so use just enough to coat the base of the pan (approximately 1–2 teaspoons). Once the pan is hot, add the mustard seeds. They will begin to pop and splutter within 30–60 seconds — keep a lid handy to prevent them from jumping out. As soon as most of the mustard seeds have popped, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for about 15 seconds until fragrant. Add the whole dried red chillies and stir for about 15 seconds. Add the curry leaves — be careful as they will splutter loudly in the hot oil. Finally, add the asafoetida and stir everything together for about 10 seconds. Do not add fenugreek seeds (meuti), as the original recipe specifically instructs to avoid them.
7. 7Immediately pour the hot fried tempering — including all the oil and spices — over the rice and curd mixture. Stir everything together thoroughly so the tempering is distributed evenly throughout the dish. Taste and adjust salt if needed. The dish can be served at room temperature or slightly chilled. It is best eaten on the day it is made.