When I was in elementary and middle school, our school used to take us out on a picnic every year. (We joke about my sisters picnics even now be'cos they went to "Hyderbad Zoo" continuously from LKG to 5th-6th classes.. I think the whole class remembers each and every animal and where each cage is located..)
I still remember discussing and planning with friends for hours about what food and activity (frisby or a board game) we were going to bring for the picnic. We would then go back home and tell our moms to cook our menus. I would for the most part take something made with rice cos I was picky eating with fingers (my sister on the other hand always insisted on some kind of Indian bread like chapathis or puris with a curry). My mom used to make a variety of rice items like lemon rice, tamarind rice, vegetable rice, yogurt rice for picnics.
My favorite among all these is tamarind rice. Tamarind rice is just yummy and it tastes even better the next day.
Tamarind rice is also a must in our house for all the festivals.
Here is my mom’s recipe for Tamarind rice:
Ingredients:
Cooked Rice - 2 cups
Tamarind paste- 4tbsp
Peanuts - ¼ cup
Chana dal (split bengal gram)- 1tbsp
Urad dal - 1tbsp
Red chilies - 4
Green chilies - 4
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Curry leaves - 8
Turmeric - pinch
Asafetida - pinch
Salt - to taste
Method:
- Heat 2tbsp oil in a pan, when hot add mustard seeds, peanuts, chana dal and urad dal, red chilies and fry till the dals turn pale brown.
- Add green chilies, curry leaves, asafetida and turmeric. Fry for another minute.
- Now add the tamarind paste and ¼ cup water.
- Let the mixture simmer on low flame for about 12-15minutes till the mixture thickens.
- Cool rice completely. Add 1tsp oil and a pinch of turmeric.
- Add the tamarind mixture, salt and mix well. Make sure not to mush rice.
I like my tamarind rice with a dollop of yogurt. Yummy…..
Nice story , beautifully told. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteArchana