Curd Rice Recipe (Thayir Saddam)

south indian curd rice served in a bowl with tempering on top and garnished with pomegranate

5 from 5 votes

Curd rice, also called yogurt rice is an easy ,comforting and healthy south India dish made with cooked rice curd (yogurt) and tempered with indian spices

Course Main Course

Cuisine South Indian

Keyword curd rice, easy, healthy, under 30 minutes, yogurt recipes, yogurt rice

Diet Gluten-Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings

Calories 289kcal

Author Bhavana Patil

Ingredients

measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml

¾ cup small grain rice
2.5 cups water for cooking rice
2 cups curd (yogurt) (about ½ liter)
1 cup milk
¼ cup cream (fresh or heavy whipping cream)
salt to taste
crushed black pepper to taste

For Tempering:

2 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
1 teaspoon urad dal
2 dried red chilli
2 green chili slit length wise
½ teaspoon grated ginger (optional)
8-10 curry leaves
a pinch hing (asafetida)

Garnish:

2 tablespoon coriander leaves finely chopped
2 tablespoon pomegranate seeds

Instructions

On Stovetop in a Vessel

Cook the rinsed rice with 3 cups of water on medium low heat until cooked and let it cool a bit.

In Instant Pot (Electric Pressure Cooker)

Pressure cook the rinsed rice with 2.5 cups of water on MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK mode for 6 minutes .Let the pressure release naturally.

In traditional Pressure Cooker on Stove Top

Pressure cook the rinsed rice with 2.5 cups of water for 3 whistles on medium low heat .Let the pressure release naturally.
When the rice is little warm slightly mash the rice with back of a spoon or your hands.
Once the rice has cooled completely , add whisked curd (yogurt), milk, black pepper powder ,salt and mix everything well.
For Tempering : Heat coconut oil in a pan.Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds let them splutter. Then add urad dal ,cumin (jeera) ,dried red chillies and fry until dal turns light brown in color.
Now add the hing (asafetida), chopped ginger ,curry leaves and chopped green chillies and fry for a few seconds.
Transfer the tempering/tadka to the bowl of curd rice and add coriander leaves ,cream (optional) ,adjust salt and mix everything well.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds.Serve chilled and enjoy with pickle and papad.

Notes

I like to overcook rice a little bit with some extra water. It makes the curd rice mushy and the curd gets mixed well with rice.
Curd rice always tastes best when made with freshly cooked rice than leftover rice.
Do not add curd to the hot rice , it will curdle.
You can also add grated carrots and add grapes for a variation.
You can replace rice with quinoa and millets.
For KIDS-FRIENDLY CURD rice skip green chillies and top with more fruits like grapes ,pomegranate and nuts.

Note:Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition