Curd Rice (Thayir Sadam)
on May 21, 2024
Curd Rice (Thayir Sadam) is a delicious South Indian rice recipe where cooked rice is mixed with yogurt and tempering is done to it. Make it using my easy recipe.
If you love South Indian Rice recipes, here are some you can make for everyday meals: Raw Mango Rice, Pepper Rice, Ghee Rice, Lemon Rice, and Ellu Sadam.
About Curd Rice
My neighbor Aunty in Bangalore made the best curd rice. It was refreshing, slightly tangy, and had a nice crunch from the lentils used in the tempering.
Also called Daddojanam, Perugu Annam, Yogurt Rice, or Thayir Sadam, Curd Rice is a South Indian rice dish in which cooked rice is mixed with fresh yogurt and then seasoned with a tadka of white urad dal, mustard seeds, green chilies, and curry leaves.
It is one of the best things to eat when you have an upset stomach. Thayir Sadam is easy to digest, and the probiotic helps grow bacteria, aiding digestion. It cools the body and helps maintain internal body temperature.
It also keeps you full for a long time, so you don’t snack on unnecessary things, indirectly helping to maintain body weight.
Yogurt rice is a staple in South Indian homes for everyday meals. Each home has its own recipe. I am sharing the recipe I learned from Daphny Aunty in this post.
Serve it chilled or at room temperature with Avakaya and appalam (rice papad) for a light meal.
Ingredients
Yogurt – For the best taste, use homemade plain yogurt (dahi, curd). If not, buy dahi from an Indian store. Indian yogurt has a very mild sour taste that complements the taste of yogurt rice.
Rice – I use Sona Masuri rice to make this recipe. You can use any white rice.
Carrot – This is optional, but I like the texture, taste, and color carrots give.
Others – You will also need milk, salt, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).
For The Tempering – You will need oil, brown mustard seeds, curry leaves, white urad dal, ginger, and dry red chilies.
Pomegranate – Adding pomegranate adds a nice crunch and slightly sweet taste.
You can also top curd rice with fried cashews for extra crunch.
How To Make Thayir Sadam
Cook The Rice
Rinse ½ cup white rice with water and add it to a pan. Add 1 and ½ cups of water and stir gently.
Cover the pan and cook the rice on low heat for 20-25 minutes until the rice is cooked well.
Remove the pan from the heat and bring the rice to room temperature.
Mix Curd and Rice
Transfer the cooled rice to a bowl.
Add ½ cup chilled plain yogurt, ¼ cup chilled milk, 2 tablespoon grated carrot, and 1 teaspoon salt and mix well.
Slightly mash the mixture using your clean hands.
Temper The Rice
Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds and 10-12 curry leaves and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
Add 1 teaspoon white urad dal, ½ teaspoon grated ginger, and 1 dry red chili (broken into small pieces) and fry until the dal turns slightly brown.
Pour the tempering over curd rice and mix well.
Garnish with 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and 2 tablespoon pomegranate seeds. Serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, curd and yogurt are two very different things.
Yogurt is made by fermenting milk using bacteria and curd is made by curdling milk.
However, in India, the term curd is often used for yogurt, so if any Indian recipes call for curd, you can use yogurt instead.
Pro Tips By Neha
To make thayir sadam, the rice is cooked with slightly more water so that it turns out mushy. Follow the measurements given in my recipe.
Cool the rice completely before mixing it with yogurt and milk. Otherwise, milk and yogurt might be curdle.
Do not use ghee for tempering. It will solidify once the rice is cooled.
You can add cooked grated beetroot or grated cucumbers instead of carrots.
You Might Also Like
Curd Rice Recipe (Thayir Sadam)
Ingredients
For The Curd Rice
- ½ cup white rice
- 1 and ½ cups water
- ½ cup chilled plain yogurt (dahi, curd)
- ¼ cup chilled milk
- 2 tablespoons grated carrot
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
For The Tempering
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoons brown mustard seeds
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon white urad dal
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 dry red chili (broken into small pieces)
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
Instructions
Cook The Rice
- Rinse rice with water and add it to a pan. Add water and stir gently.
- Cover the pan and cook the rice on low heat for 20-25 minutes until the rice is cooked well.
- Remove the pan from the heat and bring the rice to room temperature.
Mix Curd and Rice
- Transfer the cooled rice to a bowl.
- Add yogurt, milk, carrot, and salt and mix well.
- Slightly mash the mixture using your clean hands.
Temper The Rice
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and curry leaves and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Add urad dal, ginger, and dry red chili, and fry until the dal turns slightly brown.
- Pour the tempering over curd rice and mix well.
- Garnish with cilantro and pomegranate seeds. Serve.
These curd rice look so inviting just like a gourmet meal to me
Thnx 🙂