The curd-rice craving!

Back in school, we were dubbed “The Curd-Rice Brigade” because the last layer of the tiffin-box was always filled with curd-rice! We wore the label like a badge of honor! Folks from other parts of the country wonder about this fixation for curd-rice among South Indians! The culinary preference is both cultural and influenced by South India’s geography. Most parts of the South are sweltering hot throughout the year. Only a person baked in an oven will know the solace found in a food that is cool and agreeable. It is here that curd-rice fits the bill like no other!

Curd-rice's appeal is its simplicity. All you need is rice and curd. That is enough for a complete meal that is filling, tasty and easy on the stomach. When it comes to add-ons with curd-rice, there is an entire platter. It can be as basic as a pinch of salt set aside on the plate. With each fistful of curd-rice, you dab a bit of salt, for that added relish!

Curd-rice with pickle is a South Indian’s comfort food! While some insist “lemon-pickle” goes best with curd-rice, others vote for “gongura”. And for some, they drool the moment they think of “Avakai”! How do you explain “vadu-maanga” to someone outside the country? May be, you can say, you marinate tiny raw-mangoes in a spicy syrup for months and what emerges is “vadu-maanga”! And when you take a bite of this raw-mango and top it with copious curd-rice, you will sport in seventh heaven!

Curd-rice is often dressed with a tempering of oil, mustard and slivers of chili. With a sprinkling of coriander, pomegranate and grapes, it is a sure shot success in any pot-luck event! When packed in lotus-leaf bowls, it gets an added aura and is called “Daddhyonnam”! You may have a gourmet meal in a 5-star restaurant. The South Indian’s meal is incomplete till he comes home and ends with his curd-rice!

The craving for curd-rice sometimes assumes extreme proportions. As students in the Western World, you struggled to find authentic curd-rice. The closest to curd was fruit-yogurt sold in tiny boxes in the college vending machine. On one occasion, I emptied a dozen yogurt boxes from the vending machine. Watching this spectacle, a lady could not contain her curiosity. “What are you trying to do?” she questioned, all puzzled! I mumbled, “This just happens to be my dinner!” and shot out of the place!

We have no doubt that curd-rice has its pride of place in world cuisine. It can hold its head high, compete and win many a culinary battle, pitted against the best delicacies of the world!