Express Brunch menu#4-Sambar Rice,curd Rice and More

By Harini
This is time again to cook an express brunch after few weeks of non intended breaks.Last few weeks I was away from home ,some days I was really packed for time and missed taking photographs of the brunch I cooked.So yesterday I made sure to click enough pics so as to blog the brunch about here.This week's brunch is quite a simple one but very appealing both visually and also taste wise.Instead of cooking rice,sambar separately.I put together everything and made a sambar rice and curd rice.For sides I prepared potato roast,cucumber raita and mango pickle was already there :) I have decided to include a fresh juice in the menu as far as possible in these hot days,so strawberry lemonade it was :). It took an hour for me to put together everything,but I was also doing few other things in parallel.Ideally you should be able to do this platter in 45 minutes.Lets move in.
 Brunch spread:
1.Sambar sadham (Sambar rice)
2.Thayir sadham (curd rice)
3.Cucumber raita (Vellarikai thayir pachadi)
4.Potato fry
5.Mango pickle
6.Strawberry lemonade.( I did not add mint this time)
The total time for cooking is 45 minutes-1 hour.
1.First make sambar rice in a big pressure cooker.This time I used ash gourd and tomato.(30 minutes including the time for chopping tomato and ash gourd)
2.Pressure cook rice for curd rice and potato for fry in other stove (10 minutes)
3.Cut mango for pickle,grate cucumber for raita (5 minutes)
4.Once the pressure is released,peel the potatoes and make fry in one stove. (15 minutes)
5.Make strawberry lemonade and refrigerate  (5 minutes)
6.Do the tempering for raita,pickle one by one in the same kadai and add to the grated cucumber and mango.(10 minutes)
7.Make the pickle and keep aside(5 minutes)
8.Make the raita and refrigerator (5 minutes)
9.Make curd rice once the rice has cooled a bit following the below recipe (10 minutes once the rice is ready)

Curd rice:
1.Mash the cooked rice very well using potato masher or a ladle.Add 1 cup curd(for 3/4 cup rice) if you are going to eat immediately.If you are going to take for travel or lunch add 3/4 cup milk and 2 tablespoons curd,along with 1 tablespoon butter.Mix well.
2.Add salt,grapes or pomegranate as per your choice(optional)
3.Add a pinch of asafoetida and mix well.
4.Now o a tempering of mustard seeds,urad dal,chopped green chillies,ginger and curry leaves.Add to the curd rice and mix well.It is ready to serve.


Notes:
1.In general,whenever you need to do tempering for 2 or more recipes,do the tempering and keep in separate bowls.This actually saves a lot of time.
2.In the above platter you can replace sambar rice with arisi paruppu sadham and use any raita of your choice instead of cucumber.

Related links
1.Pickle varities
2.Arisi paruppu sadham
3.Raita (salad with yogurt )varieties
4.Juice and milkshake varieties.