Ellu Sadam | South Indian Sesame Rice

Cooking rice

1. Rinse 1 cup rice couple of times in water and then soak in enough water for 20 minutes.
2. Later drain all the water and add the rice in a pressure cooker. Also add ½ teaspoon salt or add as required.
3. Add 1.75 to 2 cups water or add as required for regular white rice. If using hand pounded rice then add 2.25 to 2.5 cups water. If using brown rice, then add 3 cups water. For brown rice soak for about 30 minutes.
4. For white rice, pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium flame. For hand pounded rice, pressure cook for 7 to 8 whistles and for brown rice pressure cook for 10 to 12 whistles on medium flame.
5. When the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid.
6. Take the rice in a large bowl or plate and let the rice grains cool down completely.

Making ellu podi

1. Heat a small pan. Keep the flame to a low. Add 3 tablespoons white sesame seeds. You can also use black sesame seeds or half-half of both white sesame seeds and black sesame seeds.
2. Begin to roast sesame seeds on a low flame stirring non-stop.
3. Roast sesame seeds till they pop and change color. When they have toasted well, remove them in a plate and keep aside. Let the sesame seeds cool.
4. In the same pan, add 1 teaspoon urad dal (husked and split black gram).
5. On a low heat stirring often, begin to roast urad dal.
6. Roast urad dal till they become light golden.
7. Then add 2 dry red chilies (broken and seeds removed). You can use byadagi or kashmiri red chilies.
8. Stirring often roast red chilies till they change color. This takes some seconds and by this time the urad dal will also turn golden and aromatic. 
9. Do make sure not to burn both urad dal or red chilies. If you want you can roast both urad dal and red chilies separately. Let them cool.
10. In a dry grinder jar or coffee grinder add the roasted urad dal and red chilies. also add a pinch of asafoetida. 
11. Grind to a semi fine or fine powder.
12. Then add the roasted sesame seeds. using the pulse option for some seconds, grind the sesame seeds to a fine powder. You can also grind to a semi-fine powder. Do make sure not to grind at a stretch. No oil should release from the ground sesame seeds powder.

Making Ellu Sadam

1. Add the sesame seeds powder to the cooked rice.
2. Mix well. If there are any lumps in the rice, then break with spoon or spatula.
3. Check the taste and if required, you can add some more salt at this step. Mix well again. If using sea salt crystals, then grind the salt crystals with sesame seeds.

Making tempering

1. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil (gingelly oil). Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds. If you do not have sesame oil, then you can use sunflower oil or peanut oil.
2. Let the mustard seeds crackle.
3. When the mustard seeds crackle, then add 8 to 10 curry leaves. switch off the flame and stir.
4. Add all the tempered ingredients in the rice mixture. mix again.
5. Serve ellu sadam as a main course or as a side dish.