Thayir Sadam

In our home any meal is incomplete without Thayir Sadam a.k.a Curd Rice. An absolute favorite with family. Even if I prepare a very big feast with fancy items they are dure to ask where is thayir sadam. Even if their full cannot eat a morsel more the question remains the same. If I were to make a meal with just Thayir Sadam dearest son and dearest husband will act they are in HEAVEN. They will drool over the food and fight with each other and push me aside (yo can imagine how impossible a task that is!!!!!!!!!!) What is the best way to make this innocent item? Fresh curds make a difference. I just cook rice in cooker and lightly mash rice which is cooked really well. There should be no "parukkai" in rice for this special item. Good cooked well mashed is better. So a pinch of salt maybe and then add fresh curds. Temper with mustard. This i believe is the most simplest form and maybe the best form of Thayir Sadam. Ofcourse those days when I use yogurt from store bought( cunning family can somehow make out difference hmmmmmmm???) I add little milk to this. There have been times when I do not temper (lazy MOM) But no one here likes me to add Raisins. To them I have committed the cardinal Sin How could You MOMMM?? So no raisins and such. If I were to garnish with coriander leaves(after watching too much t.v. food channels ( and make a presentation, does not fly well with said family. One of the above mentioned parties will be busy taking out the "leaves". Why cant you make it nice and simple?? will be the question thrown at me. Forget that MOM can make difficult sweets for Festivals, Kozkattais in flawless forms for Chaturti but MESS with Thayir Sadam and be prepared for comment arrows which I have learnt to duck (imagine) in time. It never ceases to wonder me how such a simple dish can evoke such strong emotions.

Ofcourse many are nostalgic. My husband and I share this unspoken memory of when we kids how on HOT summer afternoons Mother used to call all the kids around (happened in both our houses-seperately) and ask us to ope our palms outstretched and place a ball of cold Thayir Sadam in the center of palm. By the Mother can reach over to next persons hand our BALL would have disappeared you know WHERE!!!!!!!!!! Those were the times when we are busy playing and do not want to be disturbed by this call. Outwardly with a great show of annoyance all us kids would fight for a space in the circle with Mother in center. We always had cousins, friends or neighbours with us. If we lucky we would get "narthangai" along with this "delicacy". Just that plain left over rice could not have tasted better.
When we visited my grandmother, she used to keep the leftover rice from night in a mud pot and pour water. The next morning she would mix with 'Neer Moor" and give us "urandais" . No fancy curd with her. Always Neer Moor. And ofcourse she made a big mud pot of Neer moor in the morning and during our play breaks we would line up to get a cup of neer moor. No need to go into the scoldings for "madi" and acharam (All gone with the wind!)
So I am getting ready to make my family's comfort food. Is it yours toooo??