curd rice | thayir sadam

Cook 1.5 cups of rice and keep it aside when ready.

Heat 2-3 tsp of cooking oil in a Kadhai. Add 2 tsp of mustard seeds. Let it crackle. Add dried red chillies to it. Let it turn slightly brown. Then add urad dal and chana dal and let it crackle. Then add finely chopped ginger to the mixture and saute well. Add curry leaves, asafetida followed by finely chopped onions. I like to add some cashews as well. It gives a nice crunchiness.

While the tempering is being prepared, add required amount of plain yogurt (curd) to the cooked rice. Before adding the curd, it's good to break the lumps in the rice. Add little bit of milk to the rice as it helps to reduce the sourness of the curd. Then add salt as per taste and mix well. Now add the tempering to the curd rice. Adjust salt and curd as needed. Garnish with coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds.