Looking for a Simple Curd Rice Recipe to beat the summers? Curd Rice means comfort food for us. Summers without Curd Rice is as incomplete as Summers without Mangoes.
Serve this Curd Rice with Malabar Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk

Curd rice is made in almost every Indian home. And, the recipe for Curd rice is known to most of us. When we think of a Traditional Curd Rice Recipe, we imagine it being served on a banana leaf with Achar (Spicy Indian Pickle) and some green chilies and tempered curry leaves on top.

What you'll Love about this South Indian Curd Rice
- Ultimate Comfort Food - Nothing can compare to a hearty bowl of Curd rice to beat the summers.
- The Spicy SOUTH INDIAN Curd Rice Tadka - The Urad Dal, with Green Chilies, and Mustard Seeds is so good.
- The Ease of Making - Curd rice is so easy to make. And, that's exactly what we want to do on these hot summer days. No one wants to spend hours working in the kitchen when it is 40 degrees C outside. In those times, this easy Curd rice recipe comes in handy.

Ingredients You'll Need to Make Curd Rice
- Small Grain Rice - Use any small grain rice and it will make your curd rice so awesome.
- Water and Salt - To cook your rice.
- Curd - We generally use thick Store-bought curd. You can also use Homemade Curd to make Curd rice.
- Milk - Any sort of milk - Full cream or toned - would work for this recipe.
Curd Rice Tadka
- Oil- We generally use regular vegetable oil or canola oil.
- Mustard Seeds - Black Mustard Seeds or Rai is a must for Curd rice tempering.
- Hing - Hing or Asafoetida is a popular Indian spice that adds that little touch of magic to the tempering.
- Urad Dal - Split & skinned black gram or Urad Dal adds a nutty taste to the rice.
- Green Chilies - Slit Green Chilies are a must to add that spicy touch to your curd rice.
- Chopped Ginger - Ginger brings an earthy taste to the recipe for curd rice.
- Curry Leaves - Curry leaves are so important when it comes to traditional South Indian recipes. But make sure you choose large curry leaves because they are the ones with the best flavors.

Curd Rice Recipe | How to do Curd Rice
The recipe for Curd Rice is very basic. And also a lot versatile. There are so many different ways to make Curd rice. But, the basics remain the same.
Step 1: Wash Rice
The first step of Making Curd Rice is choosing a Short Grained Rice. Wash the rice thoroughly under water and allow it to sit for few minutes so that the water drains off completely.

Step 2: Cook Rice
I have cover cooked my rice with some water and salt.

You can use a pressure cooker to cook your rice for 1-2 whistles. You can also use your Instant Pot to cook rice. It takes around 10-minutes for rice to cook in an Instant Pot.
But, the thing that you should keep in mind is the quantity of water that you pour. Make sure you keep the ratio between rice and water as 1:2.
Once the rice is cooked, take off the lid and use a spatula to mash the rice.

Step 3: Take it out in a Tiffin Box
Tiffin boxes are so traditional. Especially in South Indian homes, you will these clean, steel tiffin boxes being carried by most people to work. It makes cleaning easy and it also carries well.

Step 4: Mix in Curd and Milk
Now add Curd and pour Milk. Do not overdo or else it will spill over. Use a spoon to mix curd and milk with the rice. Once it is completely mixed, cover the tiffin box with a lid and allow it to sit in a warm place for few hours.

Step 5: Make the Tempering (Curd Rice Tadka)
In a pan, heat some vegetable oil. As the oil gets hot add Mustard Seeds (Rai), Asafoetida (Hing), Urad Dal, slit Green Chilies, chopped Ginger, and Curry leaves.

Allow this to sizzle for 30-45 seconds and then take it off the heat.
Step 6: Pour it on the Rice
Finally, pour hot tempering on the rice. And Serve right away. (of course with some Pickle)

So, this was the easiest Curd rice recipe that you are going to find anywhere.
Curd Rice Calories
Curd rice is so healthy and it is so beneficial for our health. In my home, the Summer season means curd rice. It's the best way to beat the sultry summer heat.
If you are thinking about the calories in Curd rice, then here it is. Curd rice has approximately 199 to 200 calories per serving. This contains about 30grams of carbohydrates, 6grams of protein, and about 12grams of fat.

Curd Rice Benefits
Curd has microbes. And, all of us have realized how important they are for our bodies. Research has shown that curd rice restores the microbial balance in our body which means "better digestion" in simple layman terms.
These days the hot summer months are not just limited to South India. In fact, Delhi (the capital city) situated in North India records an average temperature of 42-45 degrees C in the summer months.
And, therefore curd rice is so beneficial for all of us. It brings down the body heat and helps us stay cool and calm during this hot climate.
What to Serve with curd rice?
Since Curd rice has a cool, comforting, and sour taste, what pairs really well with it is Pickle and some Murukku. But, no matter what you pair this with, the best part about having Curd rice is enjoying the Urad Dal Tadka (Tempering) on top. You can serve homemade curd rice with this spicy Malabar Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
Other Recipes you might like
If you like this recipe, then please leave a rating below. Also, take a snap and share it on Instagram with #recipemagik. Tag me @recipemagik and let me know how it turned out.
Curd Rice Recipe - How to Make Curd Rice
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Cup Short grained rice
- 2 Cups Water
- Salt as per taste
- ¼ Cup Curd you can use homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup Milk Full cream or Toned
Ingredients for Curd Rice Tadka (Tempering)
- 1 Tablespoon Oil or canola oil
- 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 pinch Hing
- 1 Tablespoon Urad Dal
- ½ inch Ginger finely chopped
- 2 small Green Chilies slit lengthwise
- 2 Sprig Curry Leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
- Wash rice thoroughly. Allow it to sit in a colander for a few minutes so that the water drains off completely.
- Cook rice in a large pot: Add rice, pour water, and adjust salt as per your taste. Cover cook for 5-7 minutes until the rice is thoroughly cooked on medium-low heat.Cook rice in a Pressure Cooker: Add washed rice in the pressure cooker. Pour water and adjust salt as per taste. Cover pressure cooker. Cook until 1-2 whistles.Cook rice in an Instant Pot: Add rice to the Instant Pot steel insert. Pour water into the rice. Close the lid. Cook for 5-minutes.
- Once the rice is cooked, open the lid and mash it with a spatula. Take out the rice in a bowl or a tiffin box. Add curd and pour milk. Mix well to combine.
- Cover the tiffin box or bowl with a lid. Allow the rice to sit in a warm place for 2-3 hours.
- In a skillet or a non-stick pan, heat some oil. As the oil gets hot, add Mustard seeds, Hing, Urad Dal, Green Chilies, chopped Ginger, and Curry leaves. Stir for 30-seconds. Pour this tempering on the rice and serve with pickle right away.
Video
Notes
- Do not over cook your rice.
- Do not forget to mash your rice with a spatula once it is cooked.
- Adjust the salt as per your taste.
Mia says
Very nice recipe and very well description given!! Love how you held my hand all along the way!! Totally in love with your blog and this curd rice recipe!!