CURD RICE / THAYIR SADHAM

     Curd Rice, is my ultimate comforting and refreshing meal.  It’s the only food which I crave for, when I travel or when I am away from home. Even if it is for two or three days and with wonderful cuisines out there, I would start to crave for home food. And back home the first thing I feel like eating would be Curd Rice and my favourite combination to always go with it, PICKLES.
  A perfect South Indian meal, is incomplete without curd rice.  At home, we all end up our lunch with curd rice.  That is we just mix curd to our rice, but this recipe goes for tempering the curd rice.  I usually make it along with other variety rice, like Coconut Rice, Lemon Rice, Tomato Rice or Tamarind Rice. Any one or two variety rice and curd rice, with spicy Potato/Yam fry, Pappadam, Vadagam, Mor-Milagai and Pickles.  I also like to make this when I have a guest at home, along with other delicacies. A simple curd rice is always refreshing after a heavy meal.
     The coolness of the curd and flavours of the seasonings soothes your mind and cools your stomach. The cooling and digestive properties of the pro-biotics in curd is good for health and all the more perfect to induce good bacteria into our digestive system.



Cuisine : South Indian
Course : Main
Spice Level : Low
Difficulty : Easy
Serves : 3- 4
Author : SM



Preparation Time - 15-20 Minutes
Cooking Time - 10 - 15 Minutes

HOW TO MAKE CURD RICE / THAYIR SADHAM - BAGALABHATH

INGREDIENTS :

Cooked Rice  - 2 Cups
Curd - 1 Cup
Milk - 1 Cup
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - A pinch (Optional)

For Tempering :

Oil/Ghee - 2 Tspn
Mustard Seeds - 1 Tspn
Bengal Gram Dhal - 1 Tspn
Green Chillies - 3-4 Nos.
Ginger - A Small Piece (Optional)
Curry Leaves - 2 Sprigs
Cashewnuts - Few (Optional)
Raisins - Few (Optional)

For Garnishing :

Pomegranate - Few Seeds (Optional)
Coriander Leaves - Few

METHOD :

• Cook rice, until it is well done.
• Mash the cooked rice with the back of a spoon, while the rice is warm.
• Add warm milk to mashed rice and mix well.  Keep it aside.
• When the rice mix completely cools down add curd, salt, a pinch of sugar and mix well.
• Chop Green Chillies and Ginger.
• Heat Oil/Ghee is a pan, splutter Mustard Seeds, Bengal Gram Dhal and Curry Leaves. 
• Add Cashew nuts and Raisins to the above and fry for a while on a very low flame.
• Add chopped Green Chillies and Ginger to it and fry for few seconds.
• Mix the tempered ingredients to the rice and mix well.
• Garnish with Coriander Leaves, grated Carrots or with few seeds of Pomegranate.
• Chill it in the refrigerator for 10 - 20 min, if preferred.
• Serve it with a smidgen of pickle or with fried Mor-Milagai.
  
  

NOTES :

• Never add curd when the rice is warm.  This will curdle the curd and makes the rice watery.
• Make sure the curd is not very sour.  If so add more milk.
• Adjust the amount of milk and curd according to your preferred consistency.
• I like creamy curd rice, so I prefer to add thick milk.
• Can also make curd rice without milk, just add curd. 
• Mash the rice well, I feel clean hands would do the job more perfectly than a spoon.
• My Mother-in Law loves this rice with pomegranates, I add them if I readily have them while making curd rice.
• Usually, I garnish it with coriander leaves and grated carrots.
• Some add freshly cut raw mangoes or fresh grapes, for garnishing.
• Adding Cashew nuts and Raisins are truly optional. 
• Tempering the ingredients in ghee would enhance the flavour.