Not a day, in the South Indian households a meal ends without Curd Rice. When you eat on a daily basis, you just mix the rice with curd and eat it with a side dish (mostly pickles). But when you are making curd dish at large as a mixed rice variety, one should be very careful as to how you make it.

Ingredients to make Curd Rice:

1. Rice - 1 cup

2. Water - 4.5 cups

3. Milk - 2 cups

4. Curd - 1 cup

5. Salt - To taste

For seasoning:

1. Ghee - 2 tbsp

2. Mustard Seeds - 1  tbsp

3. Cashew Nuts - 10 to 12

4. Raisins - 6 to 8

5. Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)

6. Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)

7. Green Chilies - 2 (chop into small pieces)

Method to make Curd Rice:

Pressure cook the rice with water. (Better to pressure cook it for atleast 5 whistles). Remove the rice and put it in a flat bowl and mash it with a laddle. Add required salt and mix thoroughly. Add milk to the rice and mash well again till milk and rice mixes well. (The consistency will be too good if it is in a paste form). Add 1 cup of curd to it and mix well again.

In a pan, add 1 tbsp of ghee and fry the cashewnuts and raisins. When brown add them to the curd rice. In another tbsp of ghee add mustard and when it splutter, add green chillies. Sprinkle the curry leaves and coriander leaves on top of the curd rice. Pour the mustard and green chillies on top of it. Mix well. Add the remaining cup of curd to it before serving.

Benefits of Curd:

When I was young I used to take curd in the morning (instead of milk or boost  or complan). Some how I had an aversion for milk. And at that time, neither me nor my mom were aware of the benefits of curd. When I learnt it at a later stage, I felt that I have had a good nutritious dish.

Health Benefits:

Curd have more nutritions than milk. Curd gets digested easily than milk. The minerals of curd calcium and phosporous gets easily absorbed in human body very easily. The vitamins are also more in curd than in milk.

Freshly made curds helps in removing the harmful bacterias and yeasts in the gut which causes bowel infections. It helps in releiving gastro intestinal disorders when it is taken as butter milk added with salt and asafodeita.

Those who are suffering from insomnia are recommended to take a cup of curd daily. Helps in reducing the bad breath that is caused mainly because of digestive disorders.

Kids and adults who are suffering from diarrhoea and constipation can be releived from irration by a cup of curd. 

Beauty Benefits:

Curd helps in maintaining good looks. Acts as a cleanser separately and also mixed with Lemon Juice. Daily intake of 1 cup of curd helps in making the skin glow. Curd acts as a natural hair conditioner and helps in controlling dandruff.