Curd Rice (Thayir Sadam)
دہی چاول (تھائر سادم)
In a South Indian meal, curd rice always comes last: a cooling bowl of soft rice mixed with yogurt after the spice of sambar and rasam. It's the dish South Indians miss most when they move abroad, the one they eat when unwell, and the one children grow up on. A quick of mustard seeds, , ginger and green chilli lifts it from plain comfort food to something you crave.
- ⏱ Total: 35 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 25 min
- Easy
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Cook the rice in the water for 20 minutes until very soft, a little softer than usual. Mash lightly while warm and let it cool until just warm.
Stir in the yogurt, milk and salt until creamy. Add a little more milk if it seems thick; it thickens as it stands.
For the , heat the oil and pop the mustard seeds. Add the urad dal and fry until golden, then the curry leaves, chilli, ginger and . Pour over the rice and mix.
Fold in the cucumber and coriander, scatter with pomegranate seeds and serve cool or at room temperature.
Kitchen notes
Adding a little milk keeps curd rice from turning too sour if it's packed for later.
Grapes, grated carrot or chopped mango are also common additions.
Serve with a spicy pickle; the contrast is the whole point.
The cooling finish
A traditional South Indian meal moves from rice with sambar, to rice with rasam, and finally to rice with yogurt. Curd rice (in Indian English, “curd” means plain yogurt) cools the palate and settles the stomach after all the spice. In the heat of Chennai summers, many people eat it as a whole meal.
Soft rice, creamy yogurt
The rice should be cooked softer than usual and mashed a little, so it blends into the yogurt rather than sitting in separate grains. Adding cold milk keeps it creamy and stops it turning sour, which matters when it’s packed in a lunch box and eaten hours later.
The tarka makes it
Plain yogurt and rice is nursery food; the turns it into a dish. Mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger and a green chilli add aroma and little sparks of heat against the cool yogurt.
A familiar idea
Pakistani readers will recognise the instinct: yogurt with rice, raita with biryani. Curd rice takes it one step further. Serve with a sharp pickle such as mango achar, or alongside lemon rice.
Questions people ask
Can I use leftover rice?
Yes. Warm it with a splash of water until soft, mash lightly and continue.
Is curd rice good for an upset stomach?
It's a traditional choice in South India when someone is unwell, as it's soft, mild and cooling. Skip the chilli in that case.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 300
- Protein
- 10 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
