Thayir Sadam is a simple yet delicious curd rice from the South Indian Cuisine. This healthy dish is made from basic ingredients like cooked rice and curd and gets a special flavor from the tempered herbs and spices. Curd rice is an integral part of South Indian Cuisine and is usually eaten by south Indians as part of the meal. This rice preparation is often taken with some pickle or chutney and the reason for having it at the end of any meal is because it has a soothing effect and helps in digestion. It is believed to be light on the stomach and balance the effect of other spicy dishes in the meal. It serves as a healthy lunch box food and a refreshing summer meal dish.
A little more about Curd Rice
As mentioned above, curd rice is an integral part of South Indian Cuisine. It is most popular in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Curd rice is referred to as Thayir Sadam, Bagala Bath and Daddojanam in various South Indian Languages. Thayir Sadam is also offered as Naivedhyam in Vaishnavit Temples and then distributed as Prasadam (blessed food) to the devotees.
My connection with Curd Rice.
My first encounter with curd rice was some 14 years back in Hyderabad. One of my office colleague used to bring this dish daily in her lunch box along with other food stuff. For her the meal would be incomplete without being concluded by this comfort food . I instantly got hooked to the dish and i learnt making it from her. Since than curd rice is a regular affair at my place, especially during summer months. I also make it every year on the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi festival as an offering to the deity. As the dish is Satvik (Onion-Garlic free), it is a preferred food during festivals.
Points to be remembered to get a perfect Curd Rice
The recipe is very simple and if few points are taken care of , you can never go wrong with the preparation.
- Rice can be cooked either in a pressure cooker or in a vessel , making sure it is cooked with little more water than usual and is very well cooked.
- If the yogurt or curd used is very sour , milk is added to the cooked rice to reduce the sourness.
- The curd should be added to the rice only when the cooked rice has cooled down completely. Adding curd to hot rice will kill the bacteria from curd and also the curd will split and the rice will be watery, which we do not look for in this dish.
- Tempering and garnishing can be done as per choice. I personally like to add peanuts, curry leaves and green chilies in the tempering and pomegranate arils as it gives a refreshing taste to the curd rice.
Related Event:
This is an old post that i had published in 2015 during my initial blogging days. I have updated this post today with new images and written content. The recipe remains unchanged though. I have many such old posts that need to be updated as the photography is dull or the recipe is not up to the mark. Thanks to Renu, my friend and fellow blogger who came up with a Facebook group, Foodies_Redoing old posts as an initiative, where a bunch of like-minded enthusiastic bloggers can update their old posts with new picture or written content every 2 weeks. This is my 23rd entry into this event (18th September). The pic below is my old pic of curd rice. You can make out the difference in the food styling and photography by comparing the new updated pics with the old ones. meanwhile do check out Renu's space, CookwithRenu.com for some healthy and delicious recipes like this South Indian Breakfast Thali . 
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rice (use any short grain rice)
- 1 1/2 cup curd (plain unsweetened yogurt)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 dry red chili
- 1-2 Sprigs of curry leaves
- 2-3 green chilies finely chopped
- Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- Pinch of Asafoetida( hing)
- 1 teaspoon of skinned and split black gram (white urad dal)
- 2-3 tablespoon of Pomegranate seeds (Optional)
- 2 tablespoon peanut
- 1-2 tablespoon oil
- Salt to taste
Method:
- Wash the rice thoroughly , and cook in a vessel or using Pressure cooker with 2 1/2 cup water until soft and nicely done. I have cooked it in pressure cooker for 3 whistles.The rice should be little overcooked for this recipe . Remove it in a bowl .
2. While the rice is still hot , add in the milk and mash the rice using a spoon. You may add little butter or ghee at this point if you like the creamy texture of curd rice.
3. Let the rice cool down completely . Now add in the salt followed by curd and mix well.
4. Add in the chopped Coriander leaves and green Chilies.
5. For tempering take a small frying wok and heat oil in it. At first fry the peanuts on medium flame until you hear a popping sound. Remove the fried peanuts and add it to the curd rice. Next, in the same oil add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add in the split urad dal followed by curry leaves , red chili and asafoetida. Fry for 30 sec to 1 minute and put off the flame.
7. Lastly garnish with Pomegranate seeds and serve with Pickle of your choice or enjoy it as it is. You may add roasted cashew nuts ,raisins or grapes also for garnishing.
3. Let the rice cool down completely . Now add in the salt followed by curd and mix well.
4. Add in the chopped Coriander leaves and green Chilies.
5. For tempering take a small frying wok and heat oil in it. At first fry the peanuts on medium flame until you hear a popping sound. Remove the fried peanuts and add it to the curd rice. Next, in the same oil add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add in the split urad dal followed by curry leaves , red chili and asafoetida. Fry for 30 sec to 1 minute and put off the flame.
6. Pour this over the curd rice and mix.
I hope a few of you would love to try out this recipe. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the comment section below this post. All your suggestions are also more than welcome. If you like my work and feel it is worth following, do hit the follow button at the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. For more recipes and new updates follow us on social media.
- Facebook Handle: https://www.facebook.com/poonambachhavblogspot
- Instagram Handle: https://www.instagram.com/poonambachhav/
- Twitter Handle: https://twitter.com/poonampagar_B
- Pinterest Handle: https://in.pinterest.com/poonambachhav/
Related Posts:
you know, its been a few hours since lunch.. but anytime is a good time for good old thayir saadam right ? :-)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely Kalyani ! Even I can have curd rice anytime. It is oh so soothing.
DeleteI'm a huge fan of curd rice but unfortunately have never tried making this dish at home. I usually think that if I have leftover rice I can make it but rarely have leftover. So perhaps I should make the rice just so I can make curd rice. Such a pretty plate of curd rice.
ReplyDeleteI also have rice leftovers rarely, so I make rice fresh early in the morning and use it after 4-5 hours in the afternoon to make curd rice. Do give it a try. You will definitely love it.
DeleteThayir sadam is the ultimate comfort food. You have made such a delicious version of it :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Sowmya. Do give it a try
Delete