CURD RICE, YOGHURT RICE, THAYIR SADAM

To day is Aadi perukku or Pathinettam perukku. festival of Tamil nadu.  I do not have to elaborate much about this festival as all the Tamilians are aware of the importance of this festival.  However, for others, I  have to brief little bit about it.

During this festival varieties of rice  are made for the neivedyam out of which one is curd rice.   Curd rice is cool and any time it is good for the stomach.

South Indian meal is incomplete without Curd Rice.  After having the sambar, rasam rice and the payasam (Kheer), we await for the curd rice to relish with some pickle or puli inji (inji curry).  It is good in summer as it has got a cooling effect in the stomach. 

In olden days, people used to keep the left over rice in water and next day morning, they add some salt and asafetida and curd  or butter milk in it and with hand nicely smash the rice.  This is watery and they drink a glass or two of this before setting out for their work.  Normally,  we  consider it  as a good breakfast.  Even I remember, my mother used to give to us before going to school.  It is really filling and tasty especially of the brown rice.

Now coming to the point of making curd rice.

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup milk

2 tbsp curd

1 tsp butter (white butter – home made)

1 green chilli chopped

Few finely chopped ginger

Salt

Tempering;

1 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urid dal

Asafoetida

Few curry leaves

1 thayir mulagu 

  

Garnishing:

Few chopped coriander leaves.

Method:

Put the rice in a bowl and mash it with the ladle.  Best option is to mash it with hand.  Add the milk, mix well.  Now add the curd and the butter.  Now add the salt, green chilli, ginger pieces etc and mix well.

Temper with the ingredients mentioned above, mix well with the rice and keep aside for two hours.  After two hours,  the same will set.  According to your requirement, you can add  more curd now and  mix well.  Garnish with coriander leaves and serve at room temperature or  chilled.

Variation:  You can add some grated carrots, finely chopped cucumber in it.

How to make thayir mulagu: also known as Moru milagu.

(thayir mulagu is the small round green chilli pricked and put in curd and salt and kept for a day.  Then it is dried in the sun.  in the evening, it is brought back and put back in the curd again. Repeat the process till the curd gets over and the chilli is dried well.  This is stored in airtight container and roasted in oil whenever you want.  It is eaten with thayir saadam i.e curd rice or used in tempering.)

Await the post of more rice varieties.

Aadi perukuu or pathinettam perukku special

coconut-rice-thenga-saadam-coconut-rice.html

Aadiperukku  is a unique South Indian and specially a Tamil festival celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month of Adi (mid July- mid August). The festival coincides with the annual freshes of the rivers and to pay tribute to water's life-sustaining properties. It is celebrated near river basins, water tanks, lakes and wells etc. of Tamil Nadu when the water level in the rises significantly heralding the onset of Monsoon

Adiperukku, water ritual through religious practice

In India the rivers Ganges and Yamuna, Cauvery and Godavari are considered sacred. Just like the earth gives us food, water is considered as a sacred necessity to meet the needs of individuals. People began to worship water in the form of wells, tanks and rivers. It is common among people to throw fruits, saffron cloths, etc., when the rivers and lakes are in spate purely based on the belief that these rivers are the species of female deities. Similarly every temple has sacred wells and tanks, and water in these resources are considered pure. There are cultural developments of the society that highlight many variations on the theme of primeval water which shows that water culture and civilization represent human interest with sacredness.

Adiperukku, otherwise called Padinettam perukku is peculiar to the all the perennial river basins of Tamil Nadu and major lakes water source areas and is intended to celebrate the water rising levels due to the onset of monsoon, which is expected to occur invariably on the 18th day of the solar month, Aadi corresponding to the 2nd or 3 August every year. Hence "Padinettam perukku" - Padinettu signifies eighteen, and Perukku denotes rising. This festival is observed predominately by women in Tamil Nadu. The Adiperukku, as a water-ritual, celebrated by women is to honour nature.

This day varieties of rice and sarakarapongal are made for neivedyam.  THe same is taken to the river bank, pooja is performed and all the family members eat and enjoy.