Peanut Curd Rice Recipe

Similar to my first post about mushroom biryani, I will be sharing a recipe for an alternative to another food that I was admittedly sad to let go after going whole-food plant-based... curd! Or dahi as it is called in Hindi, perugu in Telugu, and thayir in Tamil.

Curd, made from fermenting milk, is a major staple food for Indians and many eat it daily at the end of lunch and dinner to finish off their meals. It is especially popular in the southern states of India. I know a lot of people, including several friends, family, and myself consider curd as a must-have during meals, without which the meal does not feel complete. This is an important reason why many Indians may feel hesitant to make the transition to a vegan or whole-food plant-based diet. That's why I'm providing a recipe for delicious curd made from a plant source! In this recipe, we will be using peanuts to make the curd. It is just as tasty and much more healthy because it avoids the negative effects of dairy.

The way of preparing and serving curd rice varies from region to region in India. On most occasions, plain curd is simply mixed into rice and eaten. Sometimes, however, more ingredients are added to introduce different flavors into the curd rice. I will be sharing how the stepped-up version of curd rice is commonly done in my home state of Andhra Pradesh. So if you're ready to try it, scroll down to learn how to make peanut curd rice... Andhra style!

And head over to my Instagram page for more nutrition info about why dairy is not good for your health and how consuming plant-based alternatives (like peanut curd) are so much better! I hope you have fun making this relatively simple, yet essential Indian dish. Feel free to share how yours turned out!

Makes: 2 servings

Setting the Curd: Total 12-20 hours

Preparing the Curd Rice: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients

2/3 cup raw peanuts

1 rice-cooker-cup of rice, millet, or your grain of choice

4-5 dried red chilies

10 green chilies

1 tablespoon cooking oil (we use cold-pressed peanut oil)

1 teaspoon black gram dal (urad dal)

1 teaspoon split chickpea dal (chana dal)

1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1-2 stems of curry leaves (karivepaku in Telugu)

Setting the Curd

1. Rinse the peanuts. Then, soak them for about 4-6 hours.

2. Add the peanuts and around 250 mililiters of water to a blender (I prefer a powerful Magic Bullet) and grind it to a smooth paste.

3. Transfer the paste to a strainer or clean cotton cloth and drain the milk into a bowl. Press down firmly with a spoon (or twist and squeeze tightly if using cloth) to get all of the milk out.

4. Transfer the leftover matter back into the blender and add another 250 mililiters of water. Blend again until smooth.

5. Repeat Step 3.

6. Discard the leftover grinds after extracting the milk.

7. Pour the collected peanut milk into a small pot and place on the stove. Bring it to a boil.

8. Once boiling, remove it from the stove and allow it to cool.

9. As it cools, it may form a top layer of clotted cream called malai. If desired, gently scrape it off with a spoon and discard.

10. Take the green chilies and remove the stems. Rinse and keep the stems to use as a starter for the curd.

11. When the milk reaches a lukewarm temperature, evenly distribute the starter (green chili stems) to the top of the milk. It is important that the milk is lukewarm and not too hot or too cold.

12. Cover the bowl with a lid and store it in a warm place such as your oven or microwave. Keep it there for 8-10 hours or overnight.

13. After 8-10 hours, check the bowl. The curd should have set. You can use it right away or store it in the fridge for later use.

***Steps 9-10 are only performed when making the curd for the first time. If you already have some curd that was previously made, you can use that as a starter for the next batch of curd. Just take 1/2-3/4 spoon of the old curd and gently mix it into the lukewarm milk intended for the new curd. (Basically Step 10, but using old curd instead of chili stems)

Preparing the Curd Rice

1. Prepare 1 rice-cooker-cup of any grain of your choice (I prefer rice or millets) and cook it.

2. Once the rice is fully cooked, let it cool completely.

3. While allowing the rice to cook and cool, light the stove and place a pan on top. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to it. Break the dried red chilies into halves or thirds depending on the length of the chilies.

4. Once the oil has warmed up, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and the dried red chilies and mix.

5. When the mustard seeds begin to pop/splatter, add both dals (black gram and split chickpea) and the curry leaves to the pan. Fry until the dals turn brown. Remove the pan from the stove and set it aside to cool.

6. Fetch the peanut curd that you made from the above section "Setting the Curd". Once the rice is cool, transfer it to a larger bowl/container and add the peanut curd to it. Mix them together well.

7. Add the spice mixture that you fried to the curd rice. Mix well again. Add salt to taste.

Cool off with this and enjoy! :D

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