Name: Rice with Yogurt and Mustard Seeds (Tayyar Shaadum)
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 2 cups plain yogurt, whisked; 1 tablespoon skinned split black lentils (cream-colored in this form, urad dal), picked over for stones; 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds; 2 tablespoons canola oil; 1½ teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt; 1 cup Indian or Pakistani white basmati rice; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems; 3 to 5 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed, cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices (do not remove the seeds); 12 to 15 medium-size to large fresh curry leaves

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

Whenever I serve spicy curries, this is my choice as the accompaniment because it will absorb some of the heat. When I get homesick, I reach for a plateful of this rice with a mound of spicy pickles. And if I’ve been indulging in junk food at the local state fair (oh, those tubs of French-fried potatoes), I look forward to ending the day with this stomach-settling, soul-satisfying offering. This is my comfort food, my nirvana, my escape after a long day.