Easy Curd Salad Recipe

Curd (also known as Dahi or Yoghurt) is one of the oldest foods known to mankind. It has all the benefits of milk and is also highly pro-biotic due to the presence of lactobacillus bacteria.

During summers, the best way to eat curd is a simple salad made with curd and a few salad veggies like onion, cucumber, tomatoes, celery, and others. Below is a simple curd salad that is good for your health, low in calories, has high probiotic nature, and improves your digestion.

The salad goes well with Bread and Butter, Chicken Biryani, Ghee Paratha, Pakode, and a lot of other main course dishes. Or if you are like me, you can eat it as a standalone dish as well.

• Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• Curd
• Onion, diced into small pieces
• Carrots, diced or grated
• Cucumber, diced or grated
• Green Chillies (optional, avoid if you don’t like too much spicy just like me)
• Coriander Leaves (must be very thin leaves and not coarse ones which taste bitter)
• Salt to taste (Black Salt adds more taste)

For Tempering:

Please note that tempering is optional. However, tempering adds very much flavor to the dish. You can use tempered Curd Salad when you get bored of the non-tempered one or vice versa.

1. 1/4th teaspoon mustard seeds
2. 1/4th teaspoon jeera seeds
3. 1/4th teaspoon chilli flakes (tastes much better than whole dried chilli or chilli powder)
4. Coconut oil or any neutral oil
5. Curry Leaves, pick older leaves for a richer taste

Recipe

1. In a washed muslin or cotton cloth, hang some curd. Skip this step if you like your salad a little more watery.
2. Add salt (preferably black salt) and mix well.
3. Add all the grated salad veggies like onion, cucumber, coriander leaves, and carrot. You can also add optional veggies like lettuce, and celery.
   • Do not add cabbage as a replacement for lettuce, it spoils the taste.
4. Mix well and keep in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour. The salt will drain excess water from veggies, making them more flavorful.

There is also a version where you can add fried chicken to it (coated or just pan seared).

Tempering Process

If you want the tempered version, follow the steps above and add the tempering as shown below.

1. In a temper pan or a regular pan, heat some oil.
   • I love this dish with the coconut oil which enhances its taste and sweetness.
2. Add a 1/4th teaspoon each of mustard seeds, cumin(jeera) seeds and chilli flakes.
3. Let it crackle for 10-15 seconds.
4. Put the tempered things into the curd directly.
5. Add a teaspoon of water to the temper pan and add this water to the curd as well.
6. Mix properly and serve.