Indian Food Decoded: Love curd rice for dinner? Here's what happens to your body when you eat it every evening regularly

‘Indian Food Decoded: Curd rice at night may be comforting, but is it a balanced dinner? Here’s what a nutritionist wants you to know.

Curd rice is one of those meals that feels like the definition of comfort food. It is simple, cooling, familiar, and incredibly easy to put together. But there is one question that comes with it – is curd rice actually a good dinner? In this edition of ‘Indian Food Decoded,’ HT Lifestyle spoke to Jeanne Ribeiro, head nutritionist at Nutrition In Sync, to break down its health benefits.

Is curd rice healthy for dinner?

According to Jeanne, curd rice can actually be a very gut-friendly and easy-to-digest dinner for many people. Cooked rice is relatively easy to digest, and curd is a fermented dairy food that is often better tolerated than milk. Fermentation partially breaks down lactose, which is one reason some people who struggle with milk may tolerate curd or yogurt better. This combination can be particularly appealing when you don't want a heavy, complicated dinner.

Curd rice can actually be a very gut-friendly and easy-to-digest dinner for many people.

Easy to digest does not automatically mean nutritionally complete. A bowl of plain white rice with a little curd is predominantly a carbohydrate-based meal. It may be comfortable on the stomach, but it may not provide enough protein, fibre, or micronutrient variety to keep you satisfied and support your nutritional needs, especially if this is your regular dinner. This is why I wouldn't look at curd rice as something that needs to be avoided. I would look at how you build the bowl.

How to make curd rice a complete meal?

According to Jeanne, adding vegetables, dal, sprouts, roasted chana, paneer, eggs, or another protein source can make the meal considerably more balanced. You can still keep the comfort of curd rice while making sure dinner isn't just a large serving of rice with a small amount of curd.

Adding vegetables, dal, sprouts, roasted chana, paneer, eggs, or another protein source can make the meal considerably more balanced.

Curd rice can be a good dinner. If you tolerate dairy well, a moderate portion of curd rice can be one of the simpler and more gut-friendly dinner options. The important part is to avoid turning ‘easy to digest’ into ‘eat only rice and curd’.

Add some vegetables, make sure you get enough protein, keep the portion appropriate to your hunger, and ideally, don't make it an extremely late, oversized meal right before bed.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.