Curd rice recipe. Curd rice is a popular and tasty South Indian dish that is served with a thali or a South Indian meal. Curd rice is the curd mixed with cooked rice, herbs and then tempered. In some languages of southern India, curdled rice is also known as bagala bath or daddojanam or thayir sadam.
There are many ways to make curd rice. I usually do it with this recipe method and it has become a family favorite. So share this curd rice recipe which is for you and gives you really tasty and perfect curd rice that you will keep asking for again.
Curd rice – how is it made?
The most basic and simplest curd rice is made simply by mixing cooked rice, curd and salt. To this basic mixture you can always add spices or flavors. South Indian curd rice is also made in the same way, and then tempering the spices is added to the curd, which makes it tastier and more flavorful.
Curd rice from an Ayurvedic point of view
I’m into Ayurveda a lot these days, so I’ll share some information about curd from an Ayurvedic perspective.
- Ayurveda mentions that the curd is hot in nature, contrary to the popular belief that the curd cools in nature. My Ayurvedic doctor told me to stop taking curdled rice for a while because I had aggravated pitta dosha – which means thermal imbalance in body and mind.
- Curd rice is good for people with vata dosha imbalance. People with stale pitta dosha or kapha dosha should avoid having curd. Buttermilk made from churned butter is a good option for these people.
- The curd is heavy to digest.
- With curd, it is better to have good and fresh curd. avoid having curds that have become too acidic.
- It is best to use homemade curd – for this curd rice recipe, and also when preparing any dish with curd.
- Avoid having curd at night as it increases mucus.
- Do not heat the curd because it destroys the good bacteria present in it.
- In summer, when making curd rice, add buttermilk instead of curd.
- Avoid having curdled rice in the summer.
Is curdled rice healthy?
Curdled rice is healthy. It is the last food eaten when you have lunch in houses in South India.
- The curd is rich in protein, calcium, good fats, minerals and therefore excellent for vegetarians.
- The good probiotic bacteria present in the curd aid digestion.
- The curd reduces bloating, constipation and diarrhea.
- It also helps reduce stress and anxiety.
Tips for making curd rice
- You can fry the ginger and curry leaves while tempering them if you wish.
- I suggest using homemade curd. Homemade curd has a totally different flavor and taste than the curd brought to the store. When making recipes where curd is the main ingredient, try using homemade curd.
- Use fresh curd, but if the curd is slightly sour, you can add a little milk.
- The proportion of sour milk and milk can be adjusted according to your taste. You can also skip milk if you want.
- To prevent the curds from turning sour during summers, milk is added.
- Green peppers and ginger can be sautéed for small children.
- You can also add cashews.
- Almond yogurt, coconut milk yogurt, or cashew yogurt can be used in place of curd.
- You can also add pieces of raw mango.
Curd rice can be simply served or served after a South Indian meal.
Also Read: Pulao Recipe | Veg Pulao
How to make curd rice
Cooking rice
1. Rinse ½ cup of rice several times in water. Use any variety of regular rice. I used sona masuri rice.
2. Then add the rice to a 2-liter pressure cooker.
3. Add 1.5 cups of water and stir.
4. Cook the rice under pressure for 5 to 6 whistles or 8 to 9 minutes until the rice is cooked and very softened.
5. When the pressure stabilizes on its own, remove the cover and check the rice for doneness. The rice should be softer than what we cook on a daily basis.
6. Using a spoon or pestle, mash the rice. Switch off the flame and let the rice cool.
7. Take the mashed rice in a mixing bowl or you can even keep it on the stove if you want. Cover and let the rice get lukewarm or let the cooked rice grains come to room temperature.
Make curd rice
8. When the cooked rice becomes hot or reaches room temperature, add 1 cup of fresh curd.
9. Then add ¼ cup of milk. The amount of milk to add will depend on the acidity of the curd. Since I used fresh curd, I added less milk. Although you can increase the amount as needed. You can also skip the milk.
10. Mix very well and break up any lumps if necessary. You can use the spoon or pestle to break up the lumps. The consistency should be slightly loose and not thick. If the consistency is thick, you can add curd or milk.
11. Add 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger, 1 green chilli pepper (chopped), 1 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves and 1 teaspoon finely chopped curry leaves. Instead of adding curry leaves and ginger to the rice, you can also fry them in tempering.
12. Add salt to taste.
13. Mix very well. Set aside. Check the taste and if necessary, add more salt.
Tempering for curd rice
14. Heat a small saucepan or tadka pan and add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil (ginger oil) to it.
15. When the oil gets hot, add ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds.
16. Let the mustard seeds start to crackle.
17. When the mustard seeds start to crackle, add ½ teaspoon urad dal. Heat a small saucepan or tadka pan and add sesame oil to it. Instead of sesame oil, you can use peanut oil or sunflower oil.
18. Stirring often, fry the urad dal.
19. Let the urad dal turn golden.
20. Then add 5 to 6 curry leaves (chopped) and ⅛ teaspoon of asafoetida (about 2 pinches of asafoetida). Mix and extinguish the flame.
21. Immediately pour the tempering into the curd mixture.
22. Again, mix very well. Now the curdled rice is ready to be served.
23. During the service, you can garnish the curdled rice with a few leaves of coriander or arils of pomegranate or grapes. You can also skip the fruit and simply serve plain curd rice. Serve the curdled rice with a side of appalam or pappadum. You can even serve with a South Indian mango pickle or fried mor milagai (green chili peppers soaked in a salt + curd solution and then sun-dried). If you don’t serve it immediately, you can store it at room temperature for a few hours and then refrigerate it.
