Recipe: Green Pea Rice (Pattani Sadam)

GREEN PEA RICE (PATTANI SADAM)

1 cup long-grained rice
1 cup shelled green peas
1 small potato, peeled and finely chopped
2 small eggplants, finely chopped
1 sweet pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
salt to taste
MASALA:
2 teaspoons oil
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida powder
2 tablespoons black gram dal (washed urad dal), picked over and rinsed
3 tablespoons bengal gram dal (yellow split peas -- chana dal), picked over and rinsed
5 red chili peppers
a marble-sized piece of tamarind pulp
FOR TEMPERING:
3 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon black gram dal (washed urad dal), picked over and rinsed
1 teaspoon bengal gram dal (yellow peas -- chana dal), over and rinsed
1 red chili pepper, halved
a few curry leaves

Cook the rice and set aside to cool.

MASALA:
Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan or skillet. Add coriander seeds, asafoetida powder, black gram dal, Bengal gram dal, and red chillies. Saut for 2-3 minutes. Place in an electric blender or food processor. Add tamarind pulp. Blend to a fine powder.

TEMPERING:
Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan. Add mustard seeds, dais, red chilli, and a few curry leaves.

When the mustard seeds splutter, add the vegetables. Cook over a low heat, adding water if necessary. Add masala powder, ground turmeric, and salt to taste. Saut for 1-2 minutes.

Add rice and mix well. Serve hot.

Servings: 4
Source: Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine from South India by Chandra Padmanabhan