Curd rice, also called yogurt rice or thayir sadam, is a Southern Indian recipe that is slightly sweet, sour and savory, all in itself. It is the ultimate bowl of comfort that cools your body down and is easy on the stomach.
Curd rice is white rice mixed with yogurt and a tempered seasoning of spices and herbs.
This can be made with freshly cooked rice or leftover rice. If you have leftover rice handy, then it takes only 10 mins to put together this most delicious dish.
Growing up in a very typical South Indian home, curd rice was a staple in our everyday diet. Whether it was packed in lunch boxes, or packed and taken along for long train journeys or picnics, or just eaten at home for lunches or dinners, it was one of those easy to put together meals for most moms.
But I for one, did not enjoy it at all. I remember being very conscious of the sour smell of the curd rice coming out of my lunch box when I opened it to eat and not enjoying it all that much. I had that memory seared in my brain that it took me until very recently to re-learn to enjoy this most comforting dish.
It is one of those dishes that I developed a love affair with as a grown up. It is one of my favorite things to make for myself, when I feel the need for some comfort or when I miss home and my parents.
Here is why I love this recipe and why you will too
- It really is a bowl of comfort
- The sweetness, sourness and savoriness mingle so effortlessly in this recipe and makes it so delicious
- It is easy on the stomach and is often eaten after you have binged on a few days of heavy food. Yogurt has probiotics, that is good gut bacteria, that can help soothe your stomach.
- The level of each flavor in this dish can be well adjusted to individual tastes, to make it your own.
- And did I say, it takes only 10 mins to make it if you already have pre cooked rice on hand.
Recipe Tips
- Serve the curd rice chilled or at room temperature for the best taste.
- Don't fret if you don't have all the ingredients to make this recipe. That is the beauty of this recipe. You can use as many or as little ingredients as possible. It will still be a delicious recipe.
- Add yogurt and milk to room temperature rice. If the rice is warm or hot, the yogurt may separate and will not be as creamy as it should be. Adding a cold food ingredient to a hot food ingredient is also not encouraged in the Ayurveda way of cooking, as the imbalance it creates tends to aggravate any imbalances in your body.
- Adding milk is optional as well. Milk and yogurt together in a dish is also not encouraged by Ayurveda, but it is fine if you are not going to eat it right away.
- You can also add raw unsalted cashews in place of the dals, if you don't have any of the dals handy.
If you love curd rice, you will love these other Southern Indian rice dishes
Ingredients in curd rice
- White rice - this can be leftover rice or rice that is freshly cooked. Freshly cooked rice needs to be brought to room temperature before mixing in the other ingredients to it. Any long grained or short grained rice will do.
- Tempered seasoning or tadka - oil, brown mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried red chillies, green chillies, chana dal, urad dal and grated fresh ginger.
- Yogurt and milk - this is the second main ingredient in this recipe.
- Salt
- Cilantro, Pomegranate arils and grated carrots - optional but very delicious add ons.
Step by step recipe to make curd rice
- Have the rice cooled and ready in a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the yogurt, milk and salt to it and mix well. It is ok if the rice gets mushed. It is supposed to be that way.
- While adding yogurt, it may seem like a lot, but that is ok. The yogurt gets absorbed into the rice and you need that much yogurt to get a creamy curd rice.
- At this point, you can add some grated raw carrots if you want. I usually am in a hurry when making curd rice and often don't remember this step.
- Assemble the ingredients for the tempered seasoning. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds first. Once they splutter, add the rest of the ingredients. Once the dals start to turn color, remove from heat and pour over the rice. Mix it in well.
- Garnish with minced cilantro and pomegranate arils.
Serving Suggestions
Curd rice is usually eaten with any kind of urugai or Indian style of pickle like mango pickle, lemon / lime pickle, thakkali thokku etc. Another very popular combo is curd rice and mor milagai.
Mor milagai is fresh chillies that are soaked in a buttermilk mixture and then sun dried. Once dried completely, they stay for several months in a cool dark place. To eat mor milagai, these sun dried chilies are deep fried in oil till they crisp up.
They can be terribly spicy or just spicy enough, depending on the chilli you get when you pick. But it complements the cool nature of the curd rice very well.
FAQs about curd rice
How to keep curd rice from becoming too sour?
To keep the curd rice from becoming too sour over time, especially when packing and sending it in a lunch box, use yogurt that is not too sour to begin with. Also, mix in some milk with the yogurt.
Can you feed curd rice to babies?
Of course, curd rice can definitely be fed to babies and toddlers.
Make a plain version of this curd rice, with just the yogurt and rice and mash it well or puree it in a blender. Mix in any favorite veggie puree along with this and give it to your baby. Of course, check with your baby’s pediatrician before starting any new food group and give the baby one new food at a time, so you can watch for any reactions or allergies.
A toddler should be able to eat the yogurt and rice mixed in with the tempered seasoning except for the chillies.
How to reheat curd rice?
The curd will separate if you reheat the curd rice. Curd rice is served at room temperature or chilled. If you don't like it chilled, keep it out of the refrigerator for sometime before you serve or eat it. Add some more room temperature yogurt and mix in it, if you want to adjust the consistency or just freshen it up a little.
Do you need to add milk to curd rice?
It is not absolutely necessary to add milk to curd rice. Growing up, milk was always added to curd rice, especially if it was not going to be eaten right away. It helps with keeping the consistency right and will not let the yogurt get all absorbed leaving the dish drier than it needs to be. It also helps in making sure that the curd rice does not get too sour, especially if you are in a warm weather place or making it during summer time.
📖 Recipe
South Indian Curd Rice
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 2 ½ cups whole milk yogurt
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 4 curry leaves
- 2 dried red chillies
- 2 Thai green chillies sliced at an angle
- 1 teaspoon chana dal
- 1 teaspoon white urad dal split
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon minced cilantro
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
Don't forget to check out Step-by-step instructions with photos in the body of the post above
Instructions
- Have the cooked rice cooled and ready in a medium mixing bowl, if you are cooking the rice the same day. If using leftover rice, have it come to room temperature.
- Add the yogurt, milk and salt to it and mix well. It is ok if the rice gets mushed. It is supposed to be that way.
- While adding yogurt, it may seem like a lot, but that is ok. The yogurt gets absorbed into the rice and you need that much yogurt to get a creamy curd rice.
- At this point, you can add some grated raw carrots if you want. I usually am in a hurry when making curd rice and often don't remember this step.
- Assemble the ingredients for the tempered seasoning. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds first. Once they splutter, add the rest of the ingredients. Once the dals start to turn color, remove from heat and pour over the rice. Mix it in well.
- Garnish with minced cilantro and pomegranate arils.
Notes
- Serve the curd rice chilled or at room temperature for the best taste.
- Don't fret if you don't have all the ingredients to make this recipe. That is the beauty of this recipe. You can use as many or as little ingredients as possible. It will still be a delicious recipe.
- Add yogurt and milk to room temperature rice. If the rice is warm or hot, the yogurt may separate and will not be as creamy as it should be. Adding a cold food ingredient to a hot food ingredient is also not encouraged in the Ayurveda way of cooking, as the imbalance it creates tends to aggravate any imbalances in your body.
- Adding milk is optional as well. Milk and yogurt together in a dish is also not encouraged by Ayurveda, but it is fine if you are not going to eat it right away.
- You can also add raw unsalted cashews in place of the dals, if you don't have any of the dals handy.
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