Guest recipes with Serene Tharian

An ode to South Indian curd rice

An ode to good-old Curd Rice or Thayir Saadham or Choru Saadham (Thayir is curd or yoghurt, Choru or Saadham is rice). Eating curd rice often helps fight disease-causing bacteria and also keeps your digestive and intestinal tract safe. All credit goes to the live active cultures found in the curd.

This nutrition-dense food aids digestion and is high in probiotics, antioxidants and healthy fats, all of which help to keep your health in check. They say that a bowl of curd rice a day gives you enough stress busters to get through it. The fermentation in curd rice makes it a nutritional powerhouse. It is rich in probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that promote a healthy gut. These probiotics strengthen the immune system and ease digestion, thus enhancing nutrient absorption. Curd Rice is easily digested. The fermentation of curd breaks down complex carbohydrates and proteins, making digestion easier. This makes it suitable for even the lactose intolerant.

Curd rice is considered a cooling food. It helps regulate body temperature and provides a cooling effect on the digestive tract.

Rice – Use shortgrained fat rice for making yogurt rice. You can also use cooked brown rice, quinoa, or millet, and basmati. Leftover cooked rice can be used but it is preferred that the rice is cooked to a mushy consistency and cooled just before combining the ingredients.

Curd (Yogurt) – Use homemade curd for the best benefits. When buying yoghurt, chose ones that are fresh and not too sour. You can also use plain Greek yogurt.

Garnish – I like to use fresh coriander leaves, and pomegranate for garnishing. You can also use green grapes, shredded carrots, cucumbers, or roasted peanuts and raisins.

 

Ingredients

(for 4 servings)

Rice (boiled to mushy consistency & cooled)- 2-3 cups

Mustard oil or coconut oil – 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Red chili powder to taste

Turmeric powder to taste

Onion – 1 chopped

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Water – 3-4 tbsp

Curd – 1 cup

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Raisins (a tablespoon full for garnish)

Masala for grinding

Peanuts – 1/2 cup ( a few separate for garnish)

Dry red chili – 3 (optional)

Coconut powder – 3 tbsp

 

Roast the raisins in a little butter, if you are using and keep aside. Roast a few peanuts for garnish and set aside.

In the remaining butter, add the peanuts, dry red chillies (optional) and coconut powder and sauté on very low fire till brown in colour. Let it cool.

Grind the roasted chillies, the peanuts and the coconut powder coarsely in a mixer. Omit the chillies if not fond of spicy food.

Heat oil in a deep pan. Add the mustard seeds, and let it splutter for a few minutes.

Add the chopped onions and fry till golden. Lower the flame. Add the ground peanut masala. Mix well. Add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder. Keep stirring. Add water and mix well. Keep it on low flame. Add the cooled mushy rice to the pan and stir everything in. Switch off the heat. Wait for 5 minutes as the mixture cools. Add the yoghurt or curd and mix. Cover and leave for 5 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves, or if you like, with grated carrots and top with roasted raisins and the roasted peanuts and some pomegranate seeds for colour and punch.

Serve warm, or cold.

 

Serene runs amateur cooking club The Best Exotic Kerala Kitchen, where cooking lessons are held for friends and family. Tel: 99 222462