Being a south Indian Iyengar brahmin, I was brought up on curd rice. I've had curd rice every single day growing up and have fond memories of school lunches. In my family, a meal is considered incomplete if it doesn't finish with a few spoons of curd rice. It suffices to say, that I make the meanest curd rice south of the Indian peninsula. Well... mean and curd rice? Looks like an oxymoron right there. Oh well. Moving on.

Consistency is key in this dish. You want it a little runny because it thickens over time. Also, plan to serve this after an hour or two so you can give the milk an opportunity to curdle. If you plan to serve right away, use a little more yogurt to achieve the sour taste.

Ingredients:

1. Cooked rice - 1 cup

2. Yogurt - 1/2 cup

3. Milk - 1 cup

4. Salt - to taste

5. Tadka / tempering ingredients - 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp each of mustard, asafoetida (hing), fenugreek seeds/methi (1/4 tsp), split urad dal (split black gram lentil), 1 or 2 red chillies, a few curry leaves.

6. cilantro leaves - a handful

7. Ginger - 1tsp chopped or crushed

Procedure:

1. Mix cooked rice with yogurt, milk and salt.

2. Temper with the tempering ingredients and ginger.

3. Garnish with cilantro.