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

Method Stovetop

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 Stovetop

Pressure cook the rinsed rice with 2.5 cups of water for three whistles on medium-low heat. Let the pressure release naturally.
When the rice is a little warm, slightly mash the rice with the back of a spoon or your hands.
Once the rice has cooled completely, add whisked curd (yogurt), milk, crushed black pepper, salt, and mix everything well.
Note: Milk is added to avoid sourness when prepared in advance. But do not skip adding milk.
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 chilies, and fry until dal turns light brown.
Now add the hing (asafetida), chopped ginger, curry leaves, and chopped green chilies, and fry for a few seconds.
Transfer the tempering/tadka to the bowl of yogurt rice and add coriander leaves, cream (optional), adjust salt, and mix everything well.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serve authentic Yogurt rice recipe, or Thayir Saddam chilled, and enjoy pickle and papad.

Notes

Tips & Variations

I like to overcook rice a little bit with some extra water. It makes the curd rice soft and mushy.
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.
Add milk to avoid sourness if you are preparing in advance.
You can also add grated carrots and add grapes for a yogurt rice recipe variation.
You can replace rice with quinoa and millets.
For KIDS-FRIENDLY CURD rice skip green chilies 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