Black Mustard Seed Rice

This is a spicy rice dish and it paired well with a Spicy Lentil Rasam (coming soon). It has been a while since I have shared a spiced up grain dish in this space, but better late than never. Grains such as rice, millet and quinoa really never need embellishments, apart from some butter and tamari perhaps, but it is always just fine to experiment. The birds are chirping. I think spring is finally here. What a delight to get out for some walks after this long winter of global freezing.

Mustard Seed Rice (Kadugu Sadam)

Slightly adapted from Dakshin

1 cup of Basmati rice
1/4 cup of raw cashews
1 teaspoon of sea salt, or to taste

For the Paste:
1 tablespoon of black mustard seeds
1/2 cup of dried coconut
4 - 6 dried red chilies
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of asafoetida powder
roughly 1 inch piece of tamarind
1/4 cup of water

For the Tempering:
1 tablespoon of ghee, or a mixture of butter and oil
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
3 teaspoons of ural dal, rinsed
2 dried red chilies, broken into bits
a handful of dried curry leaves

Rinse the rice thoroughly under cold running water and let sit for an hour or more in two cups of water. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid and air dry for 30 minutes in a fine-meshed strainer, tossing now and then to bring the moist grains to the surface. Transfer the soaking liquid to a medium large pot, along with the rice, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed - about 15 minutes. Set aside.

To make the paste, put the mustard seeds, coconut, red chilies, turmeric, asafoetida powder and tamarind in a food processor or blender with the water. Blend into a smooth paste, adding a bit more water if necessary. Set aside.

For the tempering, heat the ghee or butter and oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilies and curry leaves. Stir and fry until the mustard seeds begin to sputter and pop. Add the raw cashews to the pan and stir and fry until they begin to brown - roughly 3 - 5 minutes. Now add the paste and salt to the pan, stir and fry for another few minutes. Add to the cooked rice and toss until well combined.

Serve with a cooked dal such as Spicy Lentil Rasam.

Serves 4 - 5. Just yummy.

More rice suggestions from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Lemon Rice with Toasted Cashews
Indian Lemon Brown Rice
Tamarind Rice
Coconut Rice

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Audio Accompaniment: Quiet Music by Steve Roach