Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all ! Wishing all a happy, healthy, wealthy and a prosperous year ahead ! May the world gets normal and cheerful again just like before.

Palm Sunday : Instead of Palm leaf, we used our indoor plant's leaf.

Palm Sunday mass at our house

We put on a lighted cross on the window to bring up the Easter cheer.

On Saturday before Easter Vigil mass, I prepared a lemon cake and mango custard. Then we watched mass celebrated in our parish church, via television, put some light decors in our house. After mass, as usual we cut the cake and enjoyed it with mango custard.  

On Easter morning, I made Rava kesari and Idli for breakfast. Then made a yummy chicken briyani for lunch. 

Here is a visual treat !

Lemon cake and mango custard

Idli with sambar and kesari

Chicken briyani and raitha

Oats curd rice

Oats thayir saatham (ஒட்ஸ் தயிர் சாதம்), is our new favorite breakfast nowadays.
I soak steel cut oats overnight and cook it in stove top with old fashioned oats to prepare this curd rice. Most days I use old fashioned oats only, if I didn't soak steel cut oats. I won't recommend using steel cut oats only, as the old fashioned one or the quick oats gives a better texture for this recipe. Some days I pressure cook it the night before and leave it in countertop , just like our native style 'old rice' for next morning curd rice.  If you are using a quick oats you can cook it in stove top easily and use that for this recipe too.
I temper this curd oats, so that my hubby loves it like the regular 'curd rice' . I am sure anyone who loves curd rice will definitely like this.

Oats curd rice with mango pickle

Ingredients:
Oats - 1 1/2 cup
(Old fashioned oats - 1 cup + steel cut oats 1/2 cup).
Indian plain yogurt (fat free curd) - 1 cup
sea salt - a pinch
water - 4 cups.
sesame oil - 1 tbsp.
mustard seeds- 1 tsp
urid dhal - 1/2 tsp
ginger - 1 inch ( chopped finely )
green chillies - 1 (chopped finely).
curry leaves - 1 sprig.
cilantro- chopped ( 1 tbsp)
fresh chopped shallot - 2 tbsp
Method:
Soak the steel cut oats for 2-3 hours . Add it to a cooking vessel along with old fashioned oats. 
Cook it in stove top for 10 minutes or until it is gets mushy.
If you are using an instant pot or pressure cooker, soaking is not necessary. Cook it in high pressure for 5 minutes with 4 cups of water. 
We can do this at night and keep it in countertop to get it little fermented. This is a healthier as well as easier version.

Before using it, add salt, curd, chopped shallot, cumin, cilantro to the cooked oats.

To temper: Heat a frying pan . Add oil.
Put the urid dhal and mustard seeds . After hearing the popping sound, add chopped curry leaves, cilantro, green chillies and ginger. Pour it over the oats. Mix well.

Oats curd rice is ready !

Serving suggestions:
Serve as  breakfast with mango pickles or just enjoy simply, because it tastes excellent all by itself.