Curd rice
Preparation Time
5 minutes
Cooking Time
35 minutes
Difficulty Level
easy
Meal Type
Lunch
Serves 4
Key Ingredients
- Sona masoori rice
About This Recipe
Curd rice, thayir sadam in Tamil and bagala bath in Kannada, ends the South Indian meal: a mound of soft rice folded with curd and a crackling tempering poured over the top. The rice is cooked with salt, spread to cool completely, then mashed and loosened with curd and milk. Mixing hot rice with curd turns it watery, so the cooling step is what makes the dish.
The measure is two and a half cups of curd to one cup of rice, plus half a cup of milk to keep the mash soft as it sits. The grain is sona masoori, cooked with two cups of water to a cup of rice so it comes out soft enough to mash; our guide to rice (chawal) covers the grain itself. The tempering is small and set: ghee, mustard seeds and curry leaves, nothing more.
The texture should pour slowly off the spoon, looser than khichdi; it firms in the fridge, so made ahead it takes a splash of milk to bring back. For a tangier bowl, use sour curd, and for the temple-style version, add a spoon of grated ginger to the tempering. The tangy mixed rice in the same family is puliyogare.
Ingredient List
Serving Size:
1x
2x
3x
Rice
- Sona masoori rice — 1 cup
- Water — 2 cups
- Salt — 1 1/2 tsp
To mix
- Curd (dahi), whisked — 2 1/2 cups
- Milk — 1/2 cup
Tempering
- Ghee — 1 tbsp
- Mustard Seeds — 1 tsp
- Curry Leaves — 1 sprig
Skip The Store !
Get all you need for the recipe in just a few clicks
Serving Suggestions
Serve at room temperature or lightly chilled, with mango or lime pickle, fried mor milagai, papad or a spoon of ghee on top. It is the last course of a South Indian meal and a good lunchbox on a hot day; made ahead it keeps up to two days in the fridge, thinned with milk before serving.
Tips for Cooking Curd rice
Cool the rice completely before the curd goes in, or the dish turns thin and watery. Mash the rice lightly with the back of a spoon once it is cool, then whisk in the curd and milk. Cook the rice a minute longer than for a plain meal, until the grains squish between your fingers, and taste for salt after the curd is in, not before.
Chef’s Note
Use full-fat curd for the creamiest bowl, and fold rather than beat so the grains keep some shape. A serving comes to about 219 kcal, 4.3 g of protein and 1.7 g of fibre; the numbers count the rice, ghee, mustard and curry leaves, and the curd and milk are not in them.
Per serving (approx.): 219 kcal, protein 4.3 g, carbs 39 g, fat 4.5 g, fibre 1.7 g. Computed from IFCT 2017 / USDA values for the listed quantities. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.
Happy Cooking
!!
ByCOWBERRY
Jun 23, 2026
Recipes You’ll Love
More everyday cooking with COWBERRY organics, from the same kitchen.
Preparation Time
16 Min
Cooking Time
20 Min
Difficulty Level
easy
Preparation Time
13 Min
Cooking Time
42 Min
Difficulty Level
moderate
Preparation Time
5 Min
Cooking Time
35 Min
Difficulty Level
easy