Thayir Saadam - looking back at the frugal mix!

As a kid going to school or as a grown up going to work, the Tam Brahm's / Palakkad Iyer's lunch box would almost invariably contain just one dish, yes, the frugal Thayir Saadam (Curd/Yogurt Rice) with mango or lime pickle. The white spartan mix of cooked rice and yogurt with a splash of red from the pickle is a very common sight requiring no effort in imagination. Common place as it is and consumed everyday with meals and a staple for lunch for many, it evokes a feeling of contentment, every time, time and again! Monotonous as it might sound, the daily Thayir Saadam is never boring, just like the morning filter kappi. The very monotony is the expectation! You get upset when it is different...

I too carried my lunch to school. And my lunch box also contained the same thing..., almost. Instead of curds, my mother used buttermilk (the left over liquid after butter is churned and separated from curds). So, the mix used to be a bit loose and watery. But then, she had her reasons, of which the first and foremost was that we couldn't afford curds. When you had a large family, you diluted the resources (read as, curd to buttermilk with lots of water) so that everyone got their share of whatever was available. The other reason was that the buttermilk was much lighter on the stomach (and less fatty) than curds. Curds would make you sleepy and you don't want to be caught napping in the afternoon during the Math class. I survived the same Moru Saadam (buttermilk rice) for my entire school life, but never asked for anything else. There were no surprises ever when you opened the lunch box. Every time I opened the lunch box, the same Moru Saadam stared back at me docilely in submission. I suspect if it ever excited me, but then it was so taken for granted and it satisfied the singular purpose of beating the hunger. There was no evaluation of Moru Saadam. Moru Saadam was just Moru Saadam, always. Oh, yes, the only change would be the type of side or touching - pickle with mango or lime, fried chillies (moru molagai), veppilaikatti (pounded lemon leaves with spices) or something else. And, why Thayir/Moru Saadam? It is the easiest to prepare - just mix rice and curd/buttermilk - and will taste almost the same always!! And, when grown up, the habit continues, possibly with mild variations, sometimes bordering on non-conformity.

Those days, the Tam Brahm/Iyer would not eat out unless it is from a Udupi/Iyer 'Hotel'. And, there weren't many such 'Hotels' to eat from when someone had to travel, especially long distances. Most of us did a lot of walking locally to visit relatives in neighboring or far off villages and some such trips used to take a good part of the day. Mother always packed some food to be had on the way (and I would always start feeling hungry as soon as we set out walking) and it used to be some Puliyogare/Lemon rice and Thayir Saadam or just Thayir Saadam, packed in banana leaves made soft by gently heating over fire. Most of the travel routes will have resting places on the way and some will serve sambaram (diluted buttermilk with salt, curry leaves, ginger and green chillies integrated) to quench one's thirst. We ate our food in one of these wayside 'Rest Areas'. The packed food would taste absolutely wonderful, especially when we were so hungry after walking for a few hours. The curd rice not only satisfied the hunger, but also cooled down the innards. This Thayir Saadam is made differently from the school lunch box mix. And the same type of Thayir Saadam was packed for long distance train travels that crossed meal times. Probably, it is the lack of availability of Brahmin catered food on long distance trains that prompted the invention and creation of Thayir Saadam.

Our meals always concluded with rice mixed with buttermilk. That is to say, the rice & buttermilk mix was not just intended for only the lunch box! The Thayir Saadam was never a dish by itself. It was always just simply Thayir and Saadam (yogurt and rice). But over time, the Thayir Saadam got an identity for itself. Called, comfort food, soul food or delicacy, the curd rice has now found its own place amongst other mainstream Indian dishes and is served in upscale restaurants and Hotels. Of course, it is not anything like the lunch box or travel mixes. The preparation is more complex with a lot more ingredients. And, naturally, it would taste different and would be less healthy compared to the original counterpart. The Internet is replete with different types of recipes for Curd Rice. Each variant has its own merits. Curd rice is also served in some temples and is called Daddojanam - with a recipe of its own.

The modern day Thayir Saadam is also partaken with pickles on the side. And, irrespective of which recipe one follows, for the Tam Brahm/Iyer, there is a unique level of contentment that one gets eating the indomitable Thayir Saadam. My son has always loved Thayir Saadam with a spoonful of mango pickle gravy on the side. As a family, whenever we go on day trips, we still pack Thayir Saadam for lunch picnics. Our friends love it!

My mother's recipe for the travel Thayir Saadam:
Prepare required quantity of a bit over cooked rice. Once cooled, mash it well. Add a spoon or more of dry ginger powder (chukku podi), required salt and boiled warm milk. (Milk should be enough to get the mix to a slightly loose consistency). Add a couple of tablespoons of sour buttermilk (cultured) and mix well. Cover and keep aside for 4 to 5 hours in normal room temperature (75 degrees F) for the milk to set and hold the mix together tightly. If you want to take it along for a trip on a banana leaf, go ahead and get a leaf and soften it over a low fire. Use it to pack the prepared curd rice. The banana leaf adds its own flavor to the curd rice. Enjoy the mix with pickle of choice or deep fried moru molagai (sun dried green chillies soaked in buttermilk).

Modern day Curd Rice - my recommendation:
Same as above, but make the mix more loose by adding more milk. Instead of buttermilk, you can use cultured yogurt. If you are not watching your weight, add a large dollop of sour cream too. I also squeeze half a lime or lemon into the mix. In addition to this, do tadka (tempering) using equal parts of coconut oil and sesame oil with mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, minced ginger, minced green chillies (be careful, these could be very hot), broken curry leaves and a pinch of hing (asafoetida). Cover and keep it in room temperature (75 degrees F) for 3 to 4 hours to let the milk set into curds. Garnish with coriander leaves and mix well before serving. Enjoy with pickle or moru molagai. Bon appétit!

(Reposted from my facebook page)