Yogurt rice for hot summer days
Mr. Pandarinathan stood in line at the farm watching the milkman milk his cows to get frothy, fresh milk. Waking up at 4:30 to stand in line wasn’t a big deal as the rewards were phenomenal. He’d return home to make this delicious thair sadam. He would prepare lunches for his wife and daughter and bring a big tiffin box to share at lunch at the Unesco office where we all worked and shared food communal style.
Was it a question of who would get some? Never, it was always simply the question of
a. Will Simmi get her share first?
b. Or would I?
Sometimes Simmi would beat me with her Sikh charm & sometimes I would with my Southern charm. 
Regardless, everyone got a piece of this, and some of us a little bit more & a little bit earlier.
Here’s my take on replicating Mr. P’s divine tiffin box. Except, we don’t get cruelty free milk to make yogurt at home. And I’ve converted to a vegan diet. I made my version with silk coconut milk yogurt, happy to declare that its the best. Maybe I will even go on a limb and say better than the best, better than Mr. P .
The only one who can answer that question is Mr. P or you my dear friends. Try it out & tell me.
You need:
1 cup cooked white rice(i used sona masoori, pl. don’t use basmati, the fragrance is not needed here)
3/4 cup silk coconut vegan yogurt(less if you like it thicker, more if you like it thinner)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp curry leaves
pinch hing
salt to taste
Add yogurt to the cooled rice & mash lightly.
In pan heat oil & add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add the curry leaves, hing and ginger & remove from stove.
Pour spiced oil over yogurt rice and stir in salt.
Serve by itself or chilled with ice cubes.
I like to pair it with a simple baby cucumber salad, with a lemon dressing and curry potatoes.
p.s . If you are planning to take thair sadam on a train journey, then do as my mom would. Prepare the thair sadam with milk and add in a tsp of yogurt. the heat on the train ride would turn the milky rice into a yummy concoction of thair sadam.
#vegan #vegetarian #yoghurt #summervibes #cooling #tambrahm #southindianfood #delhioffice #unescoworldheritage #colleagues #milkman #glutenfree #yummy #charuyoga
charuyoga 