Curd Rice

Curd Rice is a comforting South Indian rice meal that is creamy & yummy. Curd Rice is made by mixing cooked rice with thick curd & tempered spices. Curd Rice aids in digestion and an ideal travel & lunch box dish. A lunch meal is said to be complete only with curd rice. Curd Rice Recipe is presented here with step by step pictures and video.

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Curd Rice is always a part of the menu in gettogether or parties. It is an important variety rice meal that is part of for Valaikappu / Seemantham / Baby shower function. Curd Rice is offered as prasadam in temples and a standard menu for annadhanam during religious festivals and events.

About Curd Rice

Curd Rice is a heavenly soothing blend of curd & butter with rice & spices. Curd Rice is garnished with fruits & nuts to make it special and richer. Curd Rice always makes me wonder how with the simple and humble ingredients it makes a flavourful and complete meal.

Curd Rice preparation is very easy and I love the buttery creamy curd rice served in hotels so tried to replicate it at home and here is my version of it. In Karnataka, the curd rice is blend with fruits & nuts and called as Bagala Bath.

More rice recipes

Curd Rice for Lunch Box & Travel

Curd Rice tends to get sourer / thick with time – so the trick to make it perfect even after few hours is to add milk generously with curd when you blend with rice so that milk turns to curd by the time it is consumed. A little butter will delay the souring as well apart from making curd rice creamier and yummier. This Curd Rice Recipe doesn’t get thicker by time – it stays creamy even after 6-7 hours of preparation.

Curd Rice Ingredients

The measures and ingredients of the curd rice can be adjusted as per our preferences!

• Rice : Both Raw and Boiled rice are good for making Curd rice. I used Ponni Boiled Rajabhogam rice for this recipe. Leftover cooked rice also can be used for making curd rice to serve as evening meal after school time and in the mornings or next day lunch.
• Curd / Yogurt : For immediate consumption of curd rice say within 1 or 2 hours of preparation, add unsour curd / yogurt in full portion without milk. Add milk with reduced curd for travel & lunch box.
• Milk : Use the regular boiled milk for curd rice – preferably full cream. Skimmed / toned milk is also fine with no notable difference in taste to curd rice.
• Butter : Use fresh, homemade butter if available else you can use the store bought ones. Butter makes curd rice creamier & yummier.
• Garnishing Ingredients : For special occasions, you can add pomegranate, cashews, grapes and generous amount of butter. For making curd rice healthier in day to day cooking, add grated carrots. Make sure to add garnishing only during serving time or just before serving.
• Tempering Spices & Oil : Our anjarai petti (spice box) spices like mustard, urad dal, curry leaves and red chillies along with cooking oil is used for tempering and blending with curd & rice.

Benefits of Curd Rice

Curd Rice has an instant cooling effect on the bodyand good for teeth & bone health due to its rich calcium & phosphorous content. Curd Rice is probiotic – a warehouse of good bacteria that aids in digestion.

Curd Rice is good for lunch especially after a heavy meal. Curd Rice is always served as a finishing dish in parties and gettogethers. In South India Rice is always served with Paruppu, Sambar , Rasam and Curd in this order.

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Curd Rice Recipe Step by Step

1.Rinse 1/2 cup boiled rice twice and add it to pressure cooker.

2.Add 1 and 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup milk (boiled, cooled) to it.

3.Give a quick mix.

4. Pressure cook in medium flame for 4-5 whistles.

5.Once pressure releases, open then allow the rice to cool a bit.

6.Then mash the rice when it is still slightly warm. I first started to mash with a laddle.

7.Then switched to a potato masher as its was more convenient and gets done easily and quickly.

8.So the rice is mashed now.

9.Now add 1/2 cup milk(boiled, cooled).

10.Add 1 cup thick curd.

11.Add 1 tbsp butter along with required salt.

12.Mix this well first. It should be goey not too thick. Add 1/4 cup more curd if needed.

13.Add 1 tbsp coriander leaves, 1 tsp finely chopped curry leaves along with 1 green chilli finely chopped and 1 tsp ginger finely chopped. Set aside.

14. For tadka : Heat 2 tsp oil – add 1 tsp mustard seeds let it crackle. Once it crackles add 1/2 tsp urad dal.

15.Add a pinch of hing.

16.Add 2 small red chillies along with few curry leaves. Let it splutter. Fry until dals turn golden brown.

17.Add tadka to curd rice.

18.Mix well. Creamy yummy curd rice is ready.

Curd Rice is ready to be served!

Expert Tips

• Make sure to cool down the rice before you add curd.
• If you are packing for travel or planning to consuming curd rice after 2-3 hrs then add more of milk and less of curd so that it does not taste sour.
• Mashing is your preference – If you like it more goey then mash it more.
• If using leftover rice then first add milk to it and give a quick pulse in mixie(if mashing is a bit difficult)then proceed with adding curd and other ingredients.
• While making tadka make sure to fry until dals turn golden brown only then it will be crunchier while eating curd rice.
• Cooking rice with milk and water helps in giving rice a soft texture and taste.
• For a creamy version of curd rice, use thick curd and butter is a must.
• If you prefer to add any seasonal fruits then add pomegranate and black grapes which are apt for curd rice.
• You can also add ghee fried raisins and cashews along with the tempering.
• Milk is added to avoid sourness when prepared in advance like while we pack it for lunch.
• I usually prefer a mild tadka and seasoning. If you mix carrot , cucumber you should be able to serve it immediately,if planning to store for a longer time then garnish just before serving for best tasting curd rice.

Variations

Try the following variations of Curd Rice

• Replace rice with semiya / vermicelli for Curd Semiya
• Replace rice with millets like kambu, samai, varagu and alike
• Add pomegranate, cashews, grapes, herbs, cubed pineapples& mangoes and carrot as per your preferences
• You can add grated carrot, chopped cucumber pieces to curd rice.

Serving & Storing Suggestions

Curd Rice is relished as wholesome meal too apart from being the commonly ending part of lunch spread. Curd Rice with pickle, tempered chillies and sambar is a bliss that pars a grand buffet in five star hotels.

Curd Rice is consumed for lunch and for later consumption, blend the curd at the time of need. However if you have leftovers, you can refrigerate and consume next day by adding couple of tablespoons of milk before 1 or 2 hours of consumption.

FAQs

1.What is Curd Rice?

Curd Rice is a heavenly soothing blend of curd & butter with rice & spices.

2.How do you make Curd Rice?

• Rinse rice twice and pressure cook rice with 2 cups of water for 4 whistles.
• Once pressure releases, allow the rice to cool a bit, then mash the rice along with butter and curd.
• Add milk & butter and mix to a creamy mixture.
• Temper spices & dal and add it to the curd rice mixture.
• Add carrot, coriander leaves, ginger, required salt and give a quick stir.
• Serve warm or chilled as per your preference.

3.Is it necessary to add butter in Curd Rice?

No absolutely not unless you want it creamy & buttery and on special occasions. For day to day making, you can skip butter & other garnishing ingredients and use carrot & coriander leaves.

4.Why does my Curd Rice solidifies for lunch box?

Cooked rice tends to become solid taking the shape of the container when allowed to settle for longer hours. When the rice is not allowed to cool before blending with curd, it solidifies faster. To avoid it, add milk generously along with little portion of curd and butter to make it fresh & creamy for long.

5.Why does my Curd Rice become sour?

Curd Rice tends to get sourer with time – so add milk generously with a little portion of curd when you blend with rice so that milk turns to curd by the time it is consumed. A couple of tablespoons of butter will delay the souring as well apart from making curd rice creamier and yummier.

This is a travel lunch idea that I had shared long back.