I could not resist adding 'thair chaadam' to the recipes list because it is so vitally important to every Tamilian meal. However grand the feast be, there has to be at least one or two morsels of 'curd rice' eaten at the end - OMG! doesn't that sound like the Tulsi leaf Hanuman had to be given to satisfy his voracious appetite? Yes - 'Thair chaadam' is something like that.
I am quoting from here to show how important 'dahi' is to a regular diet - "Dahi can also be consumed by people who suffer from lactose intolerance. Almost every household in the country consumes dahi. Due to fermentation of milk a greater amount of phosphorus and calcium is made available to the digestive system by their precipitation in the lower intestines due to the acid condition induced by Lactobacillus sp.; and the consumption of sour milk also results in increased efficiency of the body to cope with a sudden influx of lactic acid in the system. It is reported that when the food is supplemented with 250 g of dahi a day, the status of thiamine improves. Dahi also increases the pyruvic acid and the lactic acid among children on a typical poor rice diet. Thus, dahi in its different forms, lassi, kadhi, shrikhand etc. also contributes significantly to the average diet."
I did not want to go on too much on 'dahi' but if you have the time this page is really interesting!
I generally carry a little curd rice to office every day during summers and many of my friends say they do not get the right blend so I thought why not show how it is done?
Ingredients:
A cup of cooked rice
Dahi - 2 tbsp
Milk - 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Salt - To taste
Seasoning:
Oil (I prefer coconut oil) - 1/4 tsp.
Curry leaves - 2 to 3
Green chillies - 1 chopped (I only break them into two - I am not fond of hot foods)
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Ginger - less than 1/4 tsp. Just 2 or 3 small dices
Coriander - A stem for the garnish
Method:
Cool and mash the cooked rice with the back of a ladle all over roughly till the rice grains stick together but do not blend.
I am quoting from here to show how important 'dahi' is to a regular diet - "Dahi can also be consumed by people who suffer from lactose intolerance. Almost every household in the country consumes dahi. Due to fermentation of milk a greater amount of phosphorus and calcium is made available to the digestive system by their precipitation in the lower intestines due to the acid condition induced by Lactobacillus sp.; and the consumption of sour milk also results in increased efficiency of the body to cope with a sudden influx of lactic acid in the system. It is reported that when the food is supplemented with 250 g of dahi a day, the status of thiamine improves. Dahi also increases the pyruvic acid and the lactic acid among children on a typical poor rice diet. Thus, dahi in its different forms, lassi, kadhi, shrikhand etc. also contributes significantly to the average diet."
I did not want to go on too much on 'dahi' but if you have the time this page is really interesting!
I generally carry a little curd rice to office every day during summers and many of my friends say they do not get the right blend so I thought why not show how it is done?
Ingredients:
A cup of cooked rice
Dahi - 2 tbsp
Milk - 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Salt - To taste
Seasoning:
Oil (I prefer coconut oil) - 1/4 tsp.
Curry leaves - 2 to 3
Green chillies - 1 chopped (I only break them into two - I am not fond of hot foods)
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Ginger - less than 1/4 tsp. Just 2 or 3 small dices
Coriander - A stem for the garnish
Method:
Cool and mash the cooked rice with the back of a ladle all over roughly till the rice grains stick together but do not blend.
Add the curd and mix. Add milk to make it a loose lumpy mixture but not runny.
Heat 1/4tsp. oil - splutter the rai, and add the rest of the 'seasoning' ingredients except coriander.
Pour into the curd rice. Mix well and add the chopped coriander.
Note: I top mine with a little milk while carrying it to office as the curd rice thickens after some time. The dahi should be decreased in summers as just a drop of dahi in lukewarm milk can result in dahi formation. Hence in summers always increase the milk and decrease the dahi.