Curd Rice

Can a dish as simple as mixing curd and rice be revered across regions as no less than a king’s meal? Hard to believe, but the apparently bland and flavourless curd rice has more variations, names, and cultural significance than most fancy fine-dine offerings. As the name suggests, curd rice has two ingredients—rice, Deccan’s unquestioned ruler of staples, and curd, the Indian probiotic yoghurt. More often than not, the creamy texture of the recipe is heightened with the seasoning of green chillies, ginger, and curry leaves and sometimes, tempered black gram, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and asafoetida. In fact, the plain untampered form of the dish is a regular serving in South Indian meals. On the other hand, the tempered version is mostly prepared on occasions and as blessed food for devotees in temples.

Every Indian state in the Deccan peninsula has conjured a unique title for the dish. In Maharashtra, it is called Dahi Bhaat whereas in Tamil Nadu, it is called Thayir Saadam. In Kerala, the dish is referred to as Tayire Chore. In Karnataka, curd rice is prepared with a tempering of yoghurt and chillies and the dish is titled Mosaranna.

An interesting aspect of the curd is that it is often mistaken as yoghurt and the terms are used interchangeably. However, there remains a slight variation in the way of preparation. While yoghurt comes from the natural fermentation of milk, curd is obtained by artificially curdling the milk with acidic substances. It is believed that yoghurt first appeared in ancient Mesopotamia 7,000 years ago. Much like other major accidental discoveries, the yoghurt was obtained in a pot of milk left open and unattended overnight. Since then, the delicacy, mostly served as a dessert, has travelled far and wide and developed cultural variances of preparation and consumption. When mixed with rice in India, the dish turns out to be super-satiating, wholesome, a good digestive aid, and an effective coolant in the summers.

The dish itself is believed to be as old as its primary ingredients. The earliest mention of the curd rice can be found in the Rig Veda. In fact, it is widely agreed upon that curd was a popular accompaniment of rice in the Vedic era. Literary texts indicate that Shrikhand, a delicious curd-based dessert, originated around 500 BC. In fact, by 1000 AD, curd had become an indispensable part of Indian cuisine and one of the few ingredients that bridged the gap between the culturally distinct North and South.