Thayir sadam (Curd rice) with Spinach and Potatoes

Thayir Sadam or Curd rice is a dish that I make when I yearn for something very light but am really lazy to cook anything elaborate for a meal. It is made by combining cooked  rice with curd/ yogurt/ buttermilk and often accompanied by a pickle of your choice. This is not a standard dish in my house but whenever i have left-over rice, I spruce it up with a good seasoning and convert it into curd rice and, most of the time, pair it with a fancy side-dish. Since, today, I have this big box of spinach and  basket full of potatoes to exhaust, I decided to cook up a flavorful, yet simple Spinach and potatoes side dish.

Thayir Sadam with Spinach and Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

For Curd Rice:

Seasoning/Tadka:

Oil -2-3 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1-2 tsp

Urad dhal - 1-2 tsp

Green chillies - 1 chopped

Ginger - 1/2 cm chopped

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Asafoetida powder - 1/2-1 tsp

Cooked rice - 1cup

Buttermilk/ Yogurt/ Curd - 2 cups or more (personal preference)

Salt - to taste

For Spinach and Potatoes:

Seasoning/Tadka:

Oil - 2-3 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1-2 tsp

Garlic - 3-4 cloves pounded

Paanch phoron - 2-3 tsp 

For the masala:

Spinach - 1 lb (blanched)

Potatoes - 6 to 8 med sized potatoes (peeled and cut into thin strips)

Turmeric powder - 1-2 tsp

Cayenne powder - 1/2-1 tsp

Salt -to taste

PREPARATION:

Curd Rice:

Heat a medium sized saute pan, add oil and other ingredients for seasoning/tadka. 

Now add the cooked rice, salt and mix well. Switch off the gas.

Add your choice of curd or yogurt or buttermilk and mix well. Make sure to add more curd so that it does not end up very dry. 

Spinach and Potatoes:

Blanch the spinach by boiling it in water, draining it, and then leaving it in some cold water.

In a heated wok, add the oil. Once the oil is heated, add the seasoning.

 Add the potatoes and saute them with some salt and the spice powders.

Now drain the blanched spinach and add this to the potatoes. Mix it well and close it with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium flame and allow it to cook for 5 minutes. Make sure to not get it burned.

Open the lid and mix the ingredients well. Make sure there is enough salt and the potatoes have cooked and all the water from the spinach has evaporated. If the potatoes need more cooking, close the lid and allow it to cook for a couple more minutes. The flavor in this dish basically comes from the Panch pharon which was added as the main seasoning. 

Enjoy this simple flavorful side dish with Thayir sadam and your choice of pickle!