Tayir Saadam (Curd Rice)

Tayir Saadam. Comfort food to many, health food for some. To me, it’s just an integral part of every meal at home.

I had a Parsi boss in Bombay who loved Curd Rice. One day, my stomach was badly upset and my aunt made curd rice and packed it in my box. My boss wanted to exchange dabbas with me. I was surprised that someone actually wanted to eat Curd Rice. She then told me that she asked her cook to make curd rice and he kept rice and curd in front of her and asked her to mix the two. I told her that’s the way we eat it at home. And she said, “Not with Basmati Rice and Sweet Curd, right?”

Right!

This version of curd rice is also called Bagala Bhaat and is served at weddings. The caterer at my wedding, Pattappa, dishes out the creamiest tayir saadam on the planet.

I, as always, picked this recipe up from Amma. In summers, this is the best thing to eat at lunch time. Very cooling, very easy on the system.

Ingredients:

1 cup Ponni/Sona Masoori Rice

1/2 tsp Green Chilli paste

1/2 tsp Ginger Paste

1 cup Curd

3/4 cup Milk

Salt to taste

For the tempering:
1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves

Coriander leaves for garnish

Cook the rice with 4 cups of water and a little salt in a pressure cooker. (I usually cook this for 5-6 whistles). Mash it with a spoon or a masher. Add the ginger and chilli pastes and mix well. Add the curd and mix well. Fold in the milk and mix again.

In a small kadhai, heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves. Pour this over the curd-rice mixture. Chill for an hour before serving. Garnish with coriander leaves.